Biola men’s basketball went to Vanguard on Saturday with a perfect 5-0 record, hot off their upset of No. 3 Fresno Pacific. That was all in jeopardy as Biola trailed by one with four seconds left. But senior forward Rocky Hampton tipped the inbound pass from Vanguard, dribbled down the lane, and scored as time expired to preserve the Eagles’ perfection with a 67-66 win. Biola improved to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in GSAC play.
Hampton owned the night, finishing with 24 points, and was one of four Eagles in double digits. Junior guard Nate Rakestraw, junior forward Andrew Schroeder, and, senior guard Danny Campbell added 12, 11, and 10 respectively.
Tuesday night, the Eagles were back home against Point Loma Nazarene University. They were motivated by Monday’s new NAIA rankings that lifted undefeated Biola from their pre-season No. 17, all the way up to No. 5 in the country. Hampton had only 2 points at the half, as Biola went into the break leading by one, but the Eagles, and Hampton in particular took over in the second half. The senior scored 16 in the half and Biola rolled to a 74-63 win. For the second straight game, the Eagles had four players in double digits. Along with Hampton, Rakestraw and Schroeder each had 12, with Schroeder also grabbing nine rebounds, and senior guard Marlon King added 12 points and four assists. Biola improved to 7-0, and 3-0 in GSAC.
“I can’t remember the last time this team was 7-0. Our goal was to be 3-0 in GSAC at this point, and we are,” Hampton said. “It’s great having four or five guys that can score on any night. If one guy is off, the team picks it up. Still, there’s no game we can slack on. We are working for every game.”
The Eagles dominated in transition, outscoring Point Loma on the fast break 12-0. Points off turnovers were also key, with Biola owning a 28-2 advantage, helped by 23 turnovers from Point Loma against only 12 from Biola.
“It’s tough playing an experienced Biola team. We showed our youth,” PLNU head coach Ethan Hamilton said. “In the GSAC, any team can beat anyone. We need to show that kind of confidence that we can compete with anyone.”
Biola was helped tremendously by the play of their big men, owning Point Loma in the paint, 40-12.
“We are working as a team and not counting on two or three guys,” Schroeder said. “With the new rankings, we have a bull’s-eye on us. But that’s exactly where we want to be.”
Schroeder has scored in double digits in five out of seven games so far. Biola’s bench outscored Point Loma 17-8 and the Eagles had 12 second chance points, compared to only two for PLNU.
The Eagles looked poised for a truly special season if they keep this up. They are at home against non-conference opponents Thursday night against Whittier at 7:00 p.m., and Saturday against Pomona-Pitzer at 7:30.
