The Biola men’s basketball team was handed their first GSAC loss by archrival Azusa Pacific University, losing 71-57 on Tuesday night in front of a hostile crowd at the Felix Event Center. It was a game in which nothing seemed to go the Eagles’ way, from questionable referee calls, to shots that just refused to fall in the hoop. Azusa Pacific, which ranked No. 9 in the NAIA 2010-2011 poll, improves to a 6-2 and 2-1 conference record while No. 16 ranked Biola, drops to 7-1 and 2-1 in the GSAC. The Eagles had only two players in double figures: Senior Curtis Eatmon contributed 17 and junior David Cline added 11.

The Cougars sped out to a quick 7-point lead to begin the game. The Eagles, on the other hand, remained scoreless until the 16-minute mark when Eatmon broke the ice with a layup. A 3-pointer by Cline brought the deficit to five at 14:19.

Eagles unable to catch up

“We didn’t come out like we usually do, with a bunch of energy. They played exceptionally well in the beginning and we just couldn’t catch up,” senior Andrew Schroeder commented on Biola’s slow start. The teams continued to trade baskets until the Cougars went on an 8-2 run to extend the lead to 14. After Biola called a timeout, they went on a scoring spree sparked by a 3-pointer from senior Nate Rakestraw. The first half ended with a steal by Eatmon, who was then fouled as he finished the play with a layup on the other side. He sank the free throw to earn the extra point, bringing the score to 39-29 at intermission.

The second half began very similarly to the first, with the Cougars bursting out to a 14-3 scoring run. However, this time, the Eagles responded with their own 11-2 run, bringing the score to 55-43. The Cougars continued to find holes in the Eagle’s defense and maintained a steady double digit lead, despite Biola’s late game push to even the score. The final score read 71-57, making Azusa Pacific the first team this season to score more than 60 points against Biola.

Eagles out-shot and out-rebounded

Biola just could not seem to get shots to fall throughout the game. They shot 36% from the field compared to 41% by Azusa. The Eagles were also out-rebounded 32-45 in large part to the Cougar’s star Reggie Owens who ripped down 13 rebounds including 7 from the offensive glass.

Biola returns to action on Saturday, December 11 in a home game against Vanguard University at 7:30p.m.