HAHN TO SOMETHING
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Something has taken over
Brenna Hahn, and even though she doesn't know exactly what it is, her teammates are going to roll with it.
Hahn, a 14.5 point per game scorer, scored a game-high 25 points, her third straight 20-point outing, to lead California Baptist University to a monumental 90-80 win over visiting Concordia before a Homecoming crowd of 762 Saturday night.
“I'm just tired of losing so I'm getting more aggressive,” said Hahn, who was coming off a career-high 28 points against Westmont Tuesday night. “Really, though, it's the whole team working together to shoulder the load.”
Indeed it was.
Four Lancers reached double figures for the second straight night.
Kendra Morris finished with 21 points, drilling a quartet of 3-pointers.
Heather Couzens had 15 points, and
Megan Bradford chipped in with 12 points and five steals.
The Lancers needed this one as a loss would have given them a mountain that may have been too tough to climb. As it is, the win moves them to 12-13 overall, 5-10 GSAC and gives them a two-game lead over everyone else for seventh place with five games left.
“We talked about how big this game was for us this week just to keep us alive,” said Bishop. “This was a must-win for us tonight, and we played like it. The kids played so well tonight, especially in the second half.”
Concordia falls to 10-13, 3-12.
In an entertaining game before a raucous home crowd, the Eagles took a 61-59 lead on a pair of Nicole Fu free throws with 10:22 left. The Lancers, though, reeled off nine straight points, getting a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from Morris, a steal and a lay-up from Bradford and then a 3-pointer from Couzens with 7:29 left that gave the Lancers a 68-61 lead. It was the 13th and final lead change of the night.
Kayana Nichols hit a 3-pointer with 3:58 to play to get Concordia within 72-70, but the Lancers were nails at the free throw line, hitting 15-of-18 in final 2:49 to not only keep the Eagles at bay, but also create separation. After Nichols' trey, the Lancers hit 7-of-8 from the line in a 9-1 run that pushed the margin to 81-71 with 1:01 left.
The Lancers shot just 69 percent (29-for-42) from the line for the game, but were clutch when it mattered most, shooting 83 percent in the final three minutes. Furthermore, the Lancers have averaged 26.2 turnovers the past five games, but committed just 16 tonight, only seven in the second half.
“We cut down on our turnovers from what we have been averaging lately, and that was huge,” said Bishop. “We had a bad spurt in the first half, but settled in and relaxed and had a great second half. I was really pleased with our effort all night.”
Monique Calvello nearly pulled off a double-double, finishing with eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Fu and Britnie Priest led Concordia with 20 points each.
