SAN DIEGO — Izzy Navarro’s milestone moment came exactly when Point Loma Nazarene needed it most.

The junior transfer from Concordia knocked down a three-pointer in the fourth quarter to score the 1,000th point of her collegiate career, helping lift the Sea Lions (12-4, 8-2 PacWest) to a 76–64 win over Biola (5-7, 2-5 PacWest) and their fourth straight victory. Navarro finished with 16 points to lead Point Loma, but her impact went far beyond the points in a game defined by balance, resilience and relentless effort.

“What a battle,” head coach Charity Elliott said. “It just never felt like we could really extend. I mean, they kept answering… but also credit to us for just continuing to stay in it, stay poised. I thought our decision making was really good. Tonight we had nine turnovers, which is just fantastic.”

Although Point Loma won by 12, the game unfolded like an accordion. Every time Point Loma stretched the lead, Biola fought back to shrink it. Over the course of the game, Point Loma would get leads of 10, 12, 15, only for Biola to peskily, relentlessly make a comeback, closing the gap to three early in the third quarter, 39-36.

But every time Biola staged a comeback, the Sea Lions answered, and in multiple ways. Seven players contributed 19 assists, led by Navarro and Hannah Golan with six each.

The team’s poise showed up early. A mere three minutes into the second quarter, eight different Sea Lions had already scored, a reflection of an offense built on trust and unselfishness rather than any single scorer.

“We give up good shots for great shots,” Elliott said. “Every single person… is so intentional about, ‘Man, I’ve got a good shot, but Emma (for example) has a great shot, and I trust her.’”

Navarro’s milestone basket capped a strong fourth quarter that began on the defensive end.

“I think it had to start with our defense,” Navarro said. “We do a lot better on offense when we get a stop and get big momentum going… and then just trusting that [the ball] will come back to me for the best shot possible.”

While the scoring was spread around, the difference in the game came on second-chance points. Point Loma outscored Biola 24–9 in that metric, fueled by guard Golan’s relentless rebounding. Golan posted a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive glass.

“I see the shot go up, their backs turned, and it’s like, I just want it,” Golan said. “We talk sometimes about whoever wants it more is going to get it.”

In addition to Navarro and Golan, six other players scored: Ruby Vlahov (12 points, five rebounds), Eiley Tippins (10 points, two assists, two blocked shots), Jocelyn Pascual (seven points, no turnovers), Maddie Morrow (six points, two rebounds, two assists), Maddie Mersch (six points, six rebounds), Emma Sales (five points, no turnovers).

On a night marked by collective contribution, Navarro’s historic three stood as a symbol of both individual achievement and a team fully committed to one another.

PLNU faces Azusa Pacific at 2 p.m. on Saturday at home. Get tickets here.