Men’s basketball extended their winning streak to six games this week in blowout fashion against the Westmont Warriors and a nail-biter against the Arizona Christian University Firestorm. With recent strong play of junior forward Jeff Gonzalez, the Biola offense now has a plethora of scoring options heading into the final games of the season.
Eagles fly ahead early
On Feb.13, the Eagles cruised to an easy 69-50 victory over the Westmont Warriors in a game that was never close. Biola’s No. 1 defensive unit in the nation showed its luster and strength by dominating the first half and providing plenty of scoring opportunities for the offense as both units paved the way to a 18-0 run to begin the game.
Westmont pulled within 11 points with eight minutes left in the game. However, the Biola bench led by senior guard Caelan Tiongson helped the Eagles surge ahead in the winding minutes to defeat the overwhelmed Warriors by 19 points.
Battle in the desert
Two top 20 contenders in the nation squared off on Feb.16. Biola came into the Arizona Christian University’s stomping grounds knowing they were 11-0 at home before Tuesday’s Golden State Athletic Conference heavyweight bout.
The Eagles found themselves quickly down 2-8 in the first quarter due to the plethora of shots taken beyond the arc by ACU. Biola's defense tightened up quickly and the team was able to pull within three at the half.
The second half featured a lot of back-and-forth scoring with the lead changing hands multiple times.
Lethal Offense
The decisive points of the game came with 1:38 left as Gonzalez drained a three to break the tie giving Biola a 59-56 lead. The Firestorm tried to respond but the No. 1 defense again showed why they are the best unit in the nation by allowing only one field goal the rest of the fourth quarter. The game ended with a 62-60 victory for the Eagles.
Gonzalez was an offensive weapon and defensive stalwart in the paint again, as he finished with 12 points and one rebound shy of a double-double. Wednesday’s game was Gonzalez’s fourth time in the last five games with double-digit scoring.
Senior guard Terrell Funches and junior guard Dakari Archer scored 51 of the team's 131 points this week, proving again why they are one of the top scoring duos in the GSAC.
Coming to a close
Biola became the first team in the nation to win 25 games and also maintained their lead in the GSAC standings.
Now that Biola finished their 2015-2016 road schedule, the Eagles close out the season with a two-game home stand against the Menlo College Oaks on Saturday, Feb. 20 and next Saturday, Feb. 27 against the No. 6 ranked Hope International University Royals.
