 "Photo: Adam Ottke")
It was a much-needed win for the women's basketball team Friday night as it dominated the court in the Hutton Sports Center. The women bashed Arizona Christian University 91-61 before suffering a double overtime loss to Occidental Sunday.
In the midst of a then 12-9 season and in a bid to snap a three-game losing streak, the Panthers played with a renewed level of speed and athleticism and dropped the Arizona Christian Firestorm to 8-16.
Head Coach Carol Jue was relieved by the win and said the team still needs to focus, especially as the schedule gets tougher from here on out.
"Thank goodness. We needed that," she said. "I thought we attacked better, but we still need to work on defense."
The Panthers wasted no time taking an immediate lead, which they held for the duration of the game. Panther junior guard Emily McCoy scored in the first 30 seconds and finished with 15 points and three steals. Sophomore guard Kimi Takaoka led the Panthers with 18 points and six assists.
The Firestorm did not score for the first four-and-a-half minutes of the game and finally put points on the board at the free throw line.
Arizona Christian not only missed many of its opening shots but also several of its free throws as well. The visitors lacked the cohesion of a team and the speed to compete against the Panthers.
"It was easy-breezy and just very fun," said senior center Brandi Hood. "We got to work on the stuff we needed to work on for some of the tougher games."
The Panther's invigorated speed gave them an edge, allowing them to shoot 48.1 percent from the field.
Despite the few lapses in defense from the Panthers, the Firestorm were never able to capitalize.
In the final seconds of the first period, freshman guard and forward Nicole Moy made a jump shot to expand the Panther's lead to 30. The first half ended 54-24.
Coming out in the second half, the Firestorm blindly fired shots and failed to set up when it had opportunities.
"It felt pretty good after all the losses," Hood said. "Today was a good confidence booster."
The game marked the team's third-highest scoring total of the season and the largest margin of victory.
"We've been having a hard time these last few games, but I think this was a good booster," said freshman guard Brittany Quon.
During the Jan. 10 game against Occidental College, the Panthers lost 59-57 by a jump shot made as the buzzer sounded. The Panthers were bested again in a close game against the Tigers to fall to 12-10.
The Panther's next home game is Feb. 18 against the Biola University Eagles.
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