The Biola Eagles men’s basketball team played four games this past week, starting with the two day Hope International tournament on Nov. 24 and 25 and continuing with their match against the CSU Dominguez Hills Toros on Nov. 26. The Eagles won both of their tournament matches, 76-69 against Fisk University and 54-50 against Bellevue University, but dropped their first loss of the season to the Toros.

To make the rest of the season successful, they have developed a number of specific, measurable goals to aspire to in every game they play.

“Our team goals,” said Kurtz, “[are] to win the rebounding battle every game, have positive assist/turnovers, [and] hold teams under 40 percent shooting.”

The Eagles played extremely well in the first half against Fisk, jumping out to a quick 17-point lead. Fisk eventually brought the deficit down to six entering halftime, keeping the momentum going through halftime. The second half contained five ties and five lead-changes, whereas the first half contained only one tie, 0-0. Biola took the lead with 7:23 left on the clock and did not give it up again, starting their three-game week on a positive note.

One day later, the Eagles played Bellevue University in what would end up an ugly win for Biola. The men had a free throw percentage of 44 percent, earning more than double Bellevue's field goal percentage of 21 percent. Regardless of Biola’s free-throw troubles, senior guard Pierre Zook hit two huge free-throws with one second left on the clock to give Biola a four-point lead, which proved just enough to give them their second win of the week.

In their third straight game, the Eagles returned home against CSU Dominguez Hills. The Toros jumped out to a huge lead in the first half, shooting 54 percent from the field and making six of their 12 three-point attempts. Biola could not seem to buy a bucket, making only nine of their 31 shots. Biola came alive in the second half however, making a 17-2 run and bring the lead down to only five points. Unfortunately, the Toros held off the Eagles’ push, handing them their first loss of the season.

After a few days of well-deserved rest, the Eagles kicked off their Golden State Athletic Conference season with a win against San Diego Christian on Dec. 2. The Eagles posted the largest lead of the first half with a five point advantage, which they took into halftime. Coming out of the break, the Eagles had all the momentum, expanding their lead to 18 points at two different times. SDCU would not give up and eventually tied the game at 58 with 1:48 left on the clock. However, Biola would not be denied at home in front of their fans and rallied to get the conference win to 61-58.

Sophomore guard Dakari Archer and seniors Pierre Zook and Mike Kurtz played critical roles in the team’s victories, something they will need to continue heading into conference play.

“Conference is going to be a dogfight every game,” said Kurtz. “Anyone can beat anyone on any given night.”

The Eagles’ next game is Saturday Dec. 6 in a road match against GSAC newcomers William Jessup.