Men’s basketball gets huge win for postseason hopes

The Eagles, without star point guard, beat Hawaii Pacific University, 69-55.

Zachary Devane, Deputy Sports Editor • February 15, 2020

Junior guard Chris Rossow gets ready to dribble around his opponents.

Photo courtesy of Grace Jordan // THE CHIMES

Men’s basketball got a hard-fought win over Hawaii Pacific University on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Eagles now sit in fifth place in the PacWest conference, one win ahead of the No. 6-placed Hawaii Hilo. Sophomore guard Alex Wright led the team with 18 points and six rebounds, while junior forward Michael Bagatourian had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

GRIND IT OUT

The Eagles, without senior starting point guard Marquise Mosley, got contributions from all involved against the Sharks. Four of the five starters finished in double-digit scoring, while sophomore center Solomon Ruddell added eight points and seven rebounds off the bench.

While BU only made one 3-pointer in the entire first half, the score was only tied at halftime. Then, a 13-0 run by the Eagles in the middle of the second half put them ahead 44-30. After that, the Sharks were unable to come back and the game finished 69-55.

“We did some good things in the first half, but we were 1-12 on threes, and when we got some momentum, we couldn’t sustain it,” said head coach Dave Holmquist. “In the second half I thought we were much more consistent, we started to make some baskets.”

The Eagles’ 40 points in the paint off 10 offensive rebounds was one of the main differences throughout the game. They also shot the ball extremely well in the second half, knocking down 51% of their shots and shooting 89% from the free-throw line.

FINISH STRONG

The Eagles moved up to the fifth spot in the PacWest standings with this win. The top six teams will make the conference tournament, and the team is finally eligible to compete after the transition period from NAIA. With only three games left in the regular season, things are looking up for the Eagles.

“Last two years we were ineligible—even though we were in the top six we couldn’t go,” Bagatourian said. “This was a big game to get one step into the playoffs and then if we take care of business these next three games, come away with good wins, we should be in good shape.”

The Eagles (10-9 PacWest, 14-11 overall) will next take on Holy Names University on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.

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About the Contributor

Zachary Devane, Deputy Sports Editor

Zach Devane is a sophomore journalism major from Indio, California. He loves Jesus, the Los Angeles Lakers and will eat chicken in almost any form. Hi! I am from Indio, California, home of the famous Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. I know it sounds like a dream come true to live so close to where all the excitement and chatter takes place, but I assure you that hundreds of thousands of people flooding your hometown for three weeks straight is more like a nightmare. Fun fact, I have lived in Indio for 17 of my 20 years of life and I have only been to Coachella once. The people I look up to most in my life are my parents. My father grew up playing basketball in Los Angeles and ever since I was a little kid he wanted to make sure that I would be a “BALLER!” (which he also called himself very often, and was just as often met with an eye-roll from my mother). Although I never made it to the NBA, my love for basketball, and sports in general, has never waned. I get excited to watch a game, hear sports talk on the radio, or even read/write an article about sports, even if I am a NARP. I decided to combine my love for sports with a love for storytelling here at the Chimes. Sports in their nature are inspiring. They call for one to go beyond what they think is possible in order to achieve a goal, and when one does so, that story should be heard. I want to tell these stories here at Biola and hopefully inspire a generation of students to reach for more.

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Men’s basketball gets huge win for postseason hopes

GRIND IT OUT

FINISH STRONG

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