The BYU-Hawaii women’s basketball team lost in back-to-back conference games against Academy of Art and California Baptist University. Despite the 92-81 and 89-74 losses respectively, the Lady Seasiders played well against the top two teams in the conference. Against Cal. Baptist, the Lady Seasiders battled hard against a very good Lancer team.
“We’re never too truly excited with a loss,” head coach Craig Stanger. “They’re a good team and they do a very good job exploiting your weaknesses. However, I’m encouraged by our efforts. We did a lot of things well; we just needed to continue to clean up our defensive focus.”
Celeste Claw, who finished with 17 points and five assists, led the Lady Seasiders on the night. Valerie Nawahine added 12 points as well.
The Lady Seasiders started the game strong by moving the ball well both inside and out as they jumped to a 9-5 lead. However, Cal. Baptist would respond and take a 24-20 lead going into the second quarter.
The Lancers would continue their run as they scored the first four points of the quarter to increase their lead to eight. The Lady Seasiders had trouble responding with a run of their own but managed to stay in the game as they went into half time down 47-34.
The second half saw Cal. Baptist continuing to build on their lead, extending it to as much as 19. However, Emily Nelson spurred a 10-3 run for BYU-Hawaii after she hit a pair of baskets. Kjirsten Nelson would cut the lead down to 10 heading into the fourth as she converted and one opportunity.
Unfortunately the Lady Seasiders saw their chances at a comeback slip away as Cal. Baptist’s Kamille Diaz hit a pair of three to put the Lancer up 16. Though the Lady Seasiders would battle back, the Lancers proved to be just too much.
“Our team chemistry on offense has really begun to click, I think that in order to get back on track we have to get our defense to click just as well,” said Nawahine, a senior English major from Laie, Hawaii.
Against Academy of Art, Celeste Claw had a career night scoring a team leading 30 points as the Lady Seasiders fell to the visiting Urban Knights. The Lady Seasiders kept the game close throughout three quarters, but fell in the fourth quarter.
Mata Tonga also had a career night with a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds.With both teams shooting around 43 percent for the game the difference came in Academy of Art outscoring BYU-Hawaii 21-10 in second chance points.
The teams were deadlocked at 23 apiece at the end of the first quarter, as Claw his a three-pointer in the final second of the quarter. The game would remain close until midway through the second quarter when Academy of Art broke away on a 12-3 run. The Lady Seasiders would cut the lead down but still went into halftime down 44-41.
The third quarter was still tight as both teams had their scoring runs, but it was an 8-2 scoring run that would prove to be the dagger for the Lady Seasiders.
Claw would lead the Lady Seasiders on a 9-1 run in the fourth, but behind solid free-throw shooting by the Urban Knights, Academy of Art secured the victory.
“We definitely have upped our game these last two games, but in order to be successful the rest of the season we need to not only match how we’ve been playing but continue to build on it,” said Emily Nelson, a senior exercise and sports science major from Mesa, Arizona.
The Lady Seasiders will now face visiting conference opponent Dixie State University before going on a road trip to Southern California.