The Eagles’ loss against top seed Concordia was a “big bummer” according to senior Danny Campbell, but it did not get the team’s spirits down. This was the case going into Tuesday’s road game in Santa Clarita against The Master’s College. Biola, led by an exceptional night from junior Josh Miller, punished their GSAC opponent by a score of 65-51.
Coming off a Hope International victory on Saturday, TMC faced a much harder and different breed of competition. The No. 2 GSAC Eagles were more competitive than Hope and remain almost unstoppable with their inside game. Staying in the game was a challenge for TMC.
The Eagles, on the other hand, had just faced a disappointing loss against the No. 1 team in GSAC, but this only prepared them to battle the other teams in the conference. The intensity level shot up in the first half when TMC frustrated Biola with a 10-6 lead then a 12-8 lead within 10 minutes of the game. The Eagles refused to give in as their defense woke up.
“Master’s have two good point guards,” said Campbell. “Our game plan is to take both guys out of the game.”
The defense did just that as TMC finished the game shooting 34 percent (18 of 53) and 27 percent from beyond the arc (7 of 26). Biola’s offense also took charge of the game, led by Miller’s game-high 19 points sparked from a trio of trifectas he drained early on.
Despite the Eagles’ decrease in point percentage in the last half, they mustered enough offense in the first half to keep them in the lead to win.
Last weekend, the Eagles headed to Irvine in an attempt to steal a victory egg from Concordia’s nest. Despite the tough defense on both sides, the No. 1 team in GSAC remained in the top spot and will set its sights on a conference title.
Before the game, Biola’s assistant coach Jim Larson said that in order for the team to succeed, they needed to have good energy and confidence. The Eagles did just that as they came out shooting confidently early in the first half.
They remained ahead of their opponent until the last two minutes of play. Coming out of the locker room, Concordia looked to extend their lead. They remained in the lead and finished off Biola in the last eight minutes of the game. The final score was 70-61.
“They are very good,” said Larson. “We have respect for them.”
The top three shooters for Biola were seniors Rocky Hampton, Marlon King and junior Josh Miller. They combined for a total of 44 out of the team’s 61 points. Individually, Hampton’s 18 points played a huge role in his team’s shooting percentage of 51.2. On the other side, Concordia’s top shooter was Justin Johnson. He led his team to an excellent shooting percentage of 45.8.
Both games had crucial consequences to Biola’s standings in GSAC and in playoffs. The loss against Concordia and win against Master’s puts the Eagles’ GSAC record at 14-4.
They are now battling to stay alive in the No. 2 spot. Fresno Pacific is creeping behind in third place with a record of 12-6. One team to look out for is Westmont, as they continue their hot six-game winning streak and are tied with Fresno in third.
When asked about playoffs, Campbell said that he believes his team will win it all. He feels that having home court advantage, the first time in Biola’s history, will play a huge factor in the Eagles’ success.
Next match is a homecoming game and a senior night for the Eagles, which will take place in Chase Gymnasium this Saturday (Feb. 27) at 7:30 p.m. Make sure you snag your tickets to see Biola tip-off against GSAC opponent, Cal Baptist University.
