The Biola men’s basketball team squeezed by with two close wins this week. On Saturday, Feb. 11, the Eagles came out with a 67-62 win against Point Loma Nazarene University. Then on Tuesday, Feb. 14, they secured a 64-62 victory in the closing seconds against Fresno Pacific University. Biola is now 19-8 overall and 9-6 in the Golden State Athletic Conference.
Adams and Kalipinde lead Eagles despite turnovers
Juniors Chase Adams and Given Kalipinde powered the Eagles with 19 points and three steals each, but also combined for 10 turnovers. Junior Andre Murillo also added 11 points, shooting a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line.
The first half began with the Sea Lions rushing out to an early 6-0 lead. The Eagles were held scoreless until Murillo sank two free throws four minutes into the game. The teams then traded baskets until they were tied at 15-15, where it remained for quite some time until freshman Kyle Bailey drained a jump shot from just within the arc to give Biola a two-point lead. The Sea Lions responded with a short scoring run and led 28-27 at the half. At that point, Adams led all players in scoring with 14 points.
The second half opened with six quick fouls on Point Loma within the first four minutes.
“Coach Holmquist stressed the fact that we had to get to the free-throw line,” Kalipinde said. “We tried to really force the issue and just try to get to the free-throw line. We shot a lot of free throws.”
The Sea Lions went on a scoring run and the Eagles found themselves down by nine at 35-44 with 11 minutes to play. Biola regrouped after head coach Dave Holmquist called a timeout and the Eagles went on a scoring spree of their own. Kalipinde played a huge part on both ends of the floor in getting the Eagles back in the game. He eventually tied the score at 47-47 after stealing the ball and finishing with a layup. The Sea Lions responded with a score to put them up, but Kalipinde came through again with a 3-pointer to give Biola the 52-50 advantage. The Eagles held onto the lead for the rest of the game, although Point Loma refused to give up, coming within three with 1.5 seconds remaining.
The biggest statistical differences of the game were in field goal and 3-point percentage. Biola shot 51 percent from field goal range and 50 percent from behind the arc, while Point Loma shot 38 percent from field goal range and 17 percent from behind the 3-point line.
“Fortunately, Chase was hitting shots, Davey was getting to the basket and we had a lot of other guys stepping up and playing hard,” Kalipinde said.
Anderson’s surprise play sparks Eagles in win
On Tuesday, the Eagles stole a 64-62 win on the road against Fresno Pacific. Murillo led Biola with 17 points, Adams added 15 and Kalipinde contributed 10. The biggest story of the night was freshman Dakota Anderson’s stellar performance of a career-high 14 points with four-for-five shooting from 3-point range. His 35 minutes of playing time was also a career high and was the second most of any player who entered the game.
The Sunbirds simply could not handle Murillo’s strong play inside the key and Anderson’s sharp shooting from behind the 3-point arc. The score remained close for the entire game. Fresno’s seven-point lead early in the first half was the largest of the night. In the closing seconds, Biola found themselves down by one with the score at 62-61. The Eagles had one possession to take the lead and Kalipinde came through when he drained a clutch 3-pointer to give Biola a two-point lead. Fresno Pacific’s Kenny Bradford missed a 3-pointer with one second left to solidify the Eagle’s win.
Coincidently, both Biola and Fresno shot 50 percent from field goal range.
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 18, against Hope International University for their final road game of the season at 7:30 p.m.
