2004-05 Season Review, PLNU's Best Season Ever

 

It wasn’t the first time that the Sea Lions had made it to the NAIA National Tournament and it wasn’t the first time that a Bill Westphal -coached squad had broken the wins in a season record.  But there were still plenty of firsts to be accomplished by a senior-heavy PLNU team on its way to making school history. The team took advantage of nearly every one of them.

 

The Sea Lions began their march to greatness with a 13-game win streak that included an overtime win over NCAA school, UC San Diego and conference rival, The Master’s College.  Sitting atop the GSAC standings early, it seemed likely that PLNU would not only challenge for the conference crown, but could take it. 

 

Things changed when PLNU played Vanguard at the Pit in Costa Mesa.  Going into halftime, the Sea Lions had maintained a small lead, but it was evident that VU was in for the long haul.  By the time the game was over, a stunned Sea Lion team boarded the bus back to San Diego with their first loss, 74-53.  Expecting a major turnaround against their next opponent, Fresno Pacific, PLNU instead experienced their first and only losing streak.

 

The team got back on track with a win against Azusa Pacific, despite the best efforts of All-American Lindsay West.  Rolling out five more wins to follow that, PLNU fell for the third time of the season to The Master’s College.  The approach of their second match up with Vanguard was motivation enough to start playing their best basketball however, and with VU ranked number one in the nation, they would need it.

 

Vanguard had only lost five times in the previous two years and only twice that deep into the season.  Their backcourt, which featured the nation’s top passer, Lisa Faulkner, perfectly complemented their front court, which was home to GSAC Player of the Year, Kelly Schmidt.  With 23 seconds left and the Sea Lions up by a bucket, Jessica Mercado sealed the win, 69-64, from the free throw line where she made good on the one-and-one opportunity.  It was the first time PLNU had taken down a number one.

 

“In our huddle we told each other that this was our game if we played together and didn’t give up,” Mercado said.

 

Brimming with confidence, PLNU finished out the remainder of regular season play without any more blemishes on their record. Ranked as high as fourth in the nation, the Sea Lions went all the way to the GSAC Championship game where they faced a familiar foe, Vanguard. Unfortunately for Point Loma, the Lions prevailed. 

 

Though they were already guaranteed a bid in the national tournament, PLNU made the trip with their second loss to Vanguard hanging over their heads.  This time they refused to let it bring down their play.  Saint Xavier made itself the first victim after the second-seeded Sea Lions routed them 73-54.  PLNU struggled early on but woke up in time to defeat Columbia College 88-77.

 

Everyone seemed to be peaking at just the right time.  Clinching second place on the Point Loma all-time scorers list, Mercado continued to play stingy defense as well, and led the nation in steals.  Equally wary of giving opponents any free points, Mica DeHoog was busy distancing her new first place record for blocks in a season from the early 90s’ Rochelle Lightner.  With 10 blocks in the national tournament, DeHoog’s presence in the key was invaluable.

 

But the biggest test of all was set to come against Freed-Hardeman University. The low scoring game, in which the Sea Lions only produced 59 points, ended up working to their benefit.  As they sank only 35 percent of their attempts, their faithful defense kicked in. With 18 team steals and six blocks, PLNU was propelled to the 59-42 victory and their first ever "Final Four" appearance.

 

There was only one game standing between the Green and Gold and a trip to the NAIA finals. Union University, playing on their home court, had spent a majority of their time atop the NAIA rankings thanks to the talent of Stephanie Clark, an imposing forward with tremendous rebounding ability, and a freshman gunner, Merideth Richardson.  Though PLNU was within six points at intermission, Richardson’s 31 points, which included nine threes, led the red-hot Bulldogs to an 84-58 win.  Union went on to win the title game over Oklahoma City. 

 

“We ran into a fired up home crowd and a fired up shooting team,” Westphal said. “It was a disappointment, but it was a great season. I’m not going to hang my head. I am very proud of the team.”

 

The conclusion of the season finally provided a break from the whirlwind of the post season and gave PLNU a chance to look at what they had done.  Among the records broken were the most wins in school history with 33, the most team points (2,777), field goals (1,077) and steals (534).  Mercado and DeHoog were each named All-Americans and All-GSAC players, and both ladies joining seniors Ciara Carl, Alli Greenaway, Kelsey Sousa and Kristin Jenkins in helping to rewrite the Sea Lion record book and set a new standard at Point Loma.