A brief two-game win streak has vaulted the KPU Eagles into a playoff position, and left the head coach of the women’s basketball team positive about qualifying for the postseason.
“The team is starting to gel and play together as a unit,” said coach Dan Nayebzadeh, “They are competing much harder now, and if we continue to focus on the process, we are going to be fine.”
KPU (Kwantlen Polytechnic University) dominated the Langara Falcons 72-47 Thursday night, taking over sole possession of sixth place in the eight-team PACWEST (Pacific Western Athletic Conference) standings.
The Eagles also lost to the Douglas college Royals, falling 57-50 Friday night at KPU’s Surrey campus to fall to 3-8 (won-loss) with 10 games still remaining.
Tied for sixth place with the Falcons going into Thursday’s game, the Eagles raced out to a 17-9 lead and led 36-22 at halftime. They continued to build their lead over the final 20 minutes.
Shilpa Khanna again paced KPU to the win, scoring 22 points and adding a four rebounds and five assists. Sam McPhail dominated the boards with 18 rebounds, adding 18 points to earn the double-double and also earning five assists.
Christina Brown chipped in with 10 points and five assists.
Against the Royals, KPU struggled in the third quarter and lost a close contest. The Eagles battled hard, trailing just 25-23 at the half. But they gave up 22 points in the third quarter and were down 47-36 with 10 minutes to play.
Khanna topped Eagles scorers with 12 points, followed by Amber-Lee Kavanagh with 10. Kavanagh also had six assists, second only to McPhail’s 12.
The Eagles will host the league’s two Vancouver Island teams next weekend. The 9-2 Vancouver Island Mariners of Nanaimo are the visitors Friday night at 6 p.m., with Victoria’s Camosun Chargers (6-5) the opponents Sunday at 1 p.m.
The second-annual Canadian Breast Cancer Awareness Night hosted by the KPU Eagles women’s team is prior to Friday’s game.
The Eagles will host a silent auction and T-shirt sale starting at 5:30 p.m. to raise funds for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation’s BC & Yukon chapter. The event is cash-only and gate, silent auction, and shirt sales will be donated to Breast Cancer Research.