The Biola men’s basketball team suffered a last minute letdown in a key GSAC match-up against No. 11 Concordia on Saturday night, and lost 54-47, despite leading for most of the game and holding Concordia to a two-year low in points scored.
The Eagles started the game shooting lights out from the field, and hit six of their first eight shots while jumping out to an early 13-6 lead in front of the raucous, 1,800-strong homecoming crowd of current students, alumni and parents.
Concordia had no answer for the Biola offense and allowed junior center Rocky Hampton to rack up 10 first half points. The Eagles 31-19 halftime lead was due in large part to the Eagles low post scoring, which overwhelmed Concordia with 18 points.
Both teams started the second half with sloppy play, as turnovers and missed shots led to long scoreless streaks in the first six minutes. Biola held its largest lead of the night with 16:28 to play at 14 points, and would hold onto to the lead until a Concordia three-pointer with less than three minutes to play gave them the lead at 46-45. The teams traded baskets to reach 48-47 before Concordia clamped down and finished the game on a six-point run.
Biola hit 66 percent of their shots from the field in the first half, but could not keep up the pace in the second half and struggled to find open looks at the basket, shooting only 29 percent. An even more daunting statistic is zero, the number of points the Biola bench contributed, whereas the Concordia bench equaled the starters numbers with 27 points.
Depth has continued to plague the Eagles in close games, as the starters continue to rack up 30-plus minute games. In Saturday’s game, no Biola starter played less than 33 minutes, while Concordia had no player in the game collect more than 31 minutes. As the national tournament rolls around, fatigue and depth will be a factor if the Eagles hope to make a run into the postseason.
The Eagles have lost three guards this season, most notably junior guard Derick Sumpter, who is out for the year with a knee injury. Sumpter was the primary backup for junior point guard Marlon King, who has logged more minutes this season than any other player while playing perhaps the most physically demanding position on the floor.
“In close games against quality opponents it’s a battle and often times it comes down to depth,” said Eagles student assistant coach Vic Sfera. “We still had plenty of opportunities and we will need to capitalize on those down the stretch.”
On Tuesday night, however, the Eagles took advantage of a short-handed Masters College squad that dressed only six players, winning 63-51 at Chase Gymnasium.
Biola overcame a 31-point effort from Masters guard Ryan Zamroz, who missed only five of his 17 shots on the night, while Biola had five players reach double digits.
Despite racing to an early lead that would stand until early in the second half, a Masters run tied the score at 32 apiece before the Eagles recovered quickly to rebuild a 10-point cushion with nine minutes to play.
The Eagles are currently in fifth place in the GSAC with two games to play in the regular season, a road contest against fourth-place Cal Baptist and a home game against Hope International. Biola needs to win its next two games to finish above Cal Baptist in the final season standings and secure a home play-off game, its first since the 04-05 season.
