IRVINE, Calif. -- Against a tough list of opponents for the opening weekend of the 2019-20 basketball season, the PacWest put together an overall record of 11-9 with four teams starting the year with a 2-0 record.
Academy of Art showed itself to be a much-improved team from last year from the start, notching wins over Western Oregon and Concordia (Ore.).
Tayler Bennett made a lay-up at the buzzer against the Cavaliers for a 79-77 win in which the Urban Knights outscored their opponents 16-7 in the fourth quarter.
Azusa Pacific began its path toward defending a West Region title with a pair of convincing wins. The Cougars defeated Cal State San Bernardino and then took out Cal Poly Pomona, which received votes in the D2SIDA preseason national rankings.
Concordia got two wins at Biola against CCAA teams, beating Cal State LA and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Michaela VanderKlugt had a double-double on Saturday after
Jasmine Rachel dropped 30 points in Friday’s win over CSUDH.
Hawai`i Pacific recorded the first win of the season, beating Northwest Nazarene, which was the third-ranked team in the West Region last year. The Sharks backed that up with an 81-76 win over Central Washington in which
Amy Baum registered 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks. This week, the Sharks will go to Canada to take on Simon Fraser before returning to Hawai`i.
Weekly awards for week of Nov. 4-10
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tayler Bennett, Academy of Art
G, GS, 5-7 -- Long Beach, Calif.
Bennett led Academy of Art to a pair of victories in Oregon on the opening weekend of the season for the team’s first set of consecutive wins since January 2017. Against Concordia (Ore.), Bennett made the game-winning basket at the buzzer on a lay-up for a 79-77 victory. She scored 15 of her 26 points in the second half to lead the Urban Knights to an impressive come-from-behind victory. Against Western Oregon, Bennett scored 19 points. She finished the week with seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Laura Pranger, Azusa Pacific
F, Jr., 6-2 -- Denver, Colo.
Pranger recorded a triple double on Saturday as Azusa Pacific defeated Cal Poly Pomona, which is ranked fifth in the West Region. The junior forward had 16 points, 11 rebounds and 11 blocks in the 63-45 victory. In the season opener, Pranger registered 21 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks against Cal State San Bernardino. Pranger’s 11 blocks against Cal Poly Pomona were a career-high and are the most in the PacWest since January 2013.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Stephanie Lee, Biola
G, Fr., 5-8 -- Brea, Calif.
In her collegiate debut, Lee came off the bench to score 21 points in Biola’s two games against CCAA opponents on the opening weekend of the season. Lee knocked down three triples in her first career game and added four assists and four steals for the Eagles. The following day, Lee tallied 12 points and added another four steals in a narrow loss to Cal State Dominguez Hills. Lee ranks second in the conference in steals this season, and has helped Biola be the PacWest leader in steals as a team.