CLU Women Fall to Biola in Semifinal

If its goal was to win a moral victory, than Cal Lutheran accomplished its mission against Biola University at Chase Gymnasium in La Mirada on Wednesday night.

However, if the Regals were gunning for more than that in their semifinal game of the NAIA District 3 women’s basketball playoffs, then they had to be disappointed with Wednesday’s result.

A cold shooting spell in the second half enabled top-seeded Biola to overcome a halftime deficit and post a 65-60 victory.

Cal Lutheran (18-10, 7-5 in district play), which lost to Biola in December, took a 40-33 lead on a Dani Elton basket early in the second half. But the Regals failed to score on their next seven possessions and Biola (22-6, 14-2) went on a 12-0 run to take a 45-40 lead with 11 minutes 57 seconds left.

Cal Lutheran missed seven shots and turned the ball over once during the stretch, while Biola hit five of six shots--and added a pair of free throws--after making only one of its first six attempts in the second half.

Tonya Zwagerman (16 points), Danielle Wykoff (11) and Michelle Mitchell (13) keyed the run with four points each, and Cal Lutheran never drew closer than four points again.

“We had a chance to win,” Cal Lutheran Coach Norm Chung said. “But we just couldn’t maintain the press in the second half. We let it slip away.”

A Leslie Stevens basket cut the Regals’ deficit to 53-49 with 4:33 left, but Donna Pollema countered with an inside basket and a pair of free throws to give Biola a 57-49 lead with 2:20 remaining.

Brenda Lee, who scored a career-high 28 points against Azusa Pacific in the first round, had a team-high 12 for the Regals on Wednesday, but 10 of those came in the first half.

Elton had 11 points and Stevens added 10.

Cal Lutheran led, 33-31, at halftime after hitting 14 of 37 field-goal attempts.

Trailing, 13-6, with 13:52 left in the first half, the Regals went on a 12-2 run to take an 18-15 lead.

Cal Lutheran’s defense keyed the surge, forcing five Biola turnovers that led to easy baskets.

The lead changed hands four times and the score was tied twice after that.

Zwagerman (five of seven from the field) led Biola with 10 points.