Biola men’s basketball’s three-game road trip continued on Saturday with a visit to the Notre Dame de Namur Argonauts in Belmont, Calif. The Eagles looked to build upon their first PacWest win on Jan. 25 against Holy Names University. The two teams traded the lead throughout the first half, but the Eagles pulled away in the second half to win 60-52 in a gritty battle.
EAGLES SURVIVE POOR FIRST HALF
The opening half featured a poor performance by both teams, as neither could make many shots. The Eagles only shot 32 percent from the field and 14 percent from behind the arc. The Argonauts shot 30 percent from the field and 36 percent from three. Biola gained steam at the end of the half, going on a 7-0 run to lead 21-18 at the break.
Both teams got hot to start the second half and traded the lead as they scored on the majority of possessions. With 10 minutes left, the Argonauts continued to challenge the Eagles, but a three-pointer from junior guard Trevor Treinen set off an 11-3 run to give the Eagles some breathing room. Biola would keep NDNU out of reach for the rest of the game as the Eagles went on to win 60-52.
BIOLA WINS TURNOVER BATTLE
The Eagles were actually outshot from behind the arc by the Argonauts, 39 percent to 23 percent, but good shot selection and winning the turnover battle helped Biola make up for their lack of range on the night. The visitors made 45 percent of their total shots to NDNU’s 37 percent. They also forced 14 turnovers while only turning the ball over five times themselves, and racked up seven team steals.
The conservative play of freshman forward Isaiah Jones paid off as he scored 14 points off of 63 percent shooting, while grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots in a complete performance. Treinen led the team in scoring with 17 points and went 3-5 from behind the arc, making the Eagles only three-pointers of the game as well as a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Junior forward Alex Talma put in an impressive performance, scoring 15 points on 5-7 from the field and 5-8 from the free throw line, while leading the Eagles with seven rebounds. Senior guard Blake Shannon Jr. scored eight points, but his biggest contribution came in the form of seven of the team’s 11 assists.
The Eagles improve to 8-12 on the season (2-10 in the PacWest). They finish up their road trip against the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Calif. on Jan. 29.
