In their opening match of the regular season the Biola men's basketball team overcame a deficit in the second half as they defeated Menlo College 74-63 on Saturday night at Chase Gymnasium.

Menlo quickly dominated the first half as the Eagles trailed by no more than nine. The Eagles struggled defensively as Menlo successfully responded after each attack, and the half ended with Menlo leading by five. In the second half, however, the roles reversed and the Eagles began to play better defense. Biola opened with a 19-5 run and led by 11 points when the game ended.

With four three-point shots in the second half, junior Zack Zaragoza led the Eagles with 22 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Christopher Jones started his collegiate career contributing 12 points for the Eagles while Junior Jamie Ball scored 12 points and added four rebounds.

Biola shot 47 percent in the game while Menlo shot a low 34 percent. The Eagles will face Simpson University next on Nov. 2 in Redding.