With four players in double figures and coming off a 61-58 win vs. Carroll College in Spokane, Washington, the Lady Golden Eagles defeated the No. 2 ranked Cougars of California State University San Marcos on Saturday night 69-61 at the Alumni Pavilion at La Sierra University.

The game was close at half with La Sierra holding a slim 31-26 lead. Cal. St. San Marcos came out hot in the second half and within 2 minutes had the score tied at 31-31, forcing La Sierra into an early timeout. "I felt as if the momentum we had built up at half was slipping away" said Coach Thorson. "I wanted to re-capture the initiative and not allow the Cougars to control the tempo." The Golden Eagles responded with a 14-2 run to take a 12-point lead. Sophomore guard Joirdan Jones heated up and scored 11 of the next 14 points, including three 3pt shots in succession. "Those 3's really gave us the spark we needed" said Thorson. "Joirdan really stepped up and played well when we needed it"

The Golden Eagles were led in scoring by Jones' 21 point effort, including 7 rebounds, followed by Natalia Hawthorne's 14 points. Freshman Brittani Walker added a career high 10 points and sophomore forward Victoria Lowe tossed in 11 points. Senior Center Ashley Baumgaertel added 8 points and 11 rebounds. "It was a tremendous effort all the way around" said Coach Thorson.

The Golden Eagles shot an impressive 40% from the floor, including 8 of 17 from behind the arc, and were 11 of 14 from the free throw line in the second half.

The Cougars of San Marcos were led by Sidney Dobner with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

The Golden Eagles take to the road and play at Arizona Christian University on January 28, in Phoenix, Arizona. That game tips at 7:00 pm PST.