Biola men’s basketball team nearly blew a 20-point lead, but came out on top with a 78-71 victory over The Master’s College on Saturday night. It was the last game of the regular season and because of the intense competition in the Golden State Athletic Conference this year, it was a must-win.
Almost all five of the Eagles’ starters scored in double figures. Junior Andre Murillo had 19, junior Given Kalipinde had 17, junior Kaimarr Price contributed 14, senior Davey Hopkins added 10, and junior Chase Adams had 8. Kalipinde and Price each also pulled down 9 rebounds. The Eagles finished the season with a 22-8 record overall and a 12-6 record in the GSAC.
Eagles take off in second half
The game was tight for most of the first half with neither team gaining a double-digit advantage. Murillo led the Eagles with 11 points at half-time despite being double, and sometimes triple teamed on defense. Biola led 29-25 at halftime.
It was in the second half that Chase Gymnasium filled with energy. The Eagles started with a basket by Price off a nice assist from Murillo. On the next possession, Kalipinde made an alley-oop pass to Hopkins for the finish. On the possession that followed that, Adams drove in a made an easy layup, which led to a Master’s timeout. Biola continued to increase the lead for the majority of the second half, eventually leading 56-35 with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Although it seemed that Biola had already won, Master’s refused to give up and slowly whittled down the deficit.
Hopkins’ free throws seal the win on senior night
With 26 seconds left in the game, the Eagles found themselves ahead by only two points with the score 71-69. Hopkins was fouled and made two clutch free throws to put Biola up by four, practically sealing the game. Hopkins was the only senior on the team and since it was senior night, it was a fitting way to end the regular season.
The Eagles now turn their attention to the postseason where they will begin the GSAC playoff tournament with a rematch against The Master’s College on Thuraday, Mar. 1 in a home game at 7:30 p.m.
