After struggling mightily in the season’s first few games, redshirt freshman forward Isaiah Jones had a breakout performance to lead the Eagles over the La Sierra Golden Eagles by a score of 81-72. It marked Biola’s first win away from home this season.

EXCELLENCE OFF THE BENCH

Junior forward Levi Auble recorded two fouls within the first minute of the game, forcing head coach Dave Holmquist to sub in Jones far earlier than he could have planned. Jones responded by hitting his first jumper of the night for the Eagles’ first two points. He dominated the paint from there along with junior center Alex Talma as the two big men combined for 21 of Biola’s 35 points in the first half.

They received some help from junior guard Trevor Treinen, who shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half to record seven points of his own. Jones and Treinen led an 8-3 run at the end of the first half that turned a 27-27 tie into a 35-30 Biola lead heading into halftime.

Jones only scored nine of his 24 total points in the second half, but remained a major factor in the game. With both teams struggling to score early in the half and the Eagles only up by three, Jones knocked down his first three-pointer of the year to double Biola’s lead only to see La Sierra fight back to within two. The Phoenix native promptly hit another triple to give Biola a five-point advantage that they would never relinquish.

STARTERS ICE GAME DOWN THE STRETCH

Meanwhile, Treinen scored 11 and senior guard Blake Shannon Jr. added eight points and an assist after he was held scoreless in the first half. Auble came off the bench late to author a five-point run by himself that stretched Biola’s lead to double digits. La Sierra tried to keep pace with the Eagles but never came close to tying, barely narrowing their deficit down to nine by the time the final horn sounded.

Jones finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds for Biola’s first double-double of the season.  Treinen and Talma had 18 and 11 points, respectively, with Talma also chipping in five rebounds and three assists.

The Eagles improve to over .500 for the first time this season with a 3-2 record in nonconference play. They will return to La Mirada, Calif. for some Thanksgiving week action, taking on Pomona-Pitzer at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21.