Men’s basketball reconvened tonight in Irvine, Calif, after having last week’s games postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions against Point Loma Nazarene University. The Eagles used the time off to fine-tune their craft and came out with a healthy victory against Concordia University Irvine, 94-78.

The Eagles got right to it out of the gate. Looking sharp and focused, Biola held the lead throughout the entire game, never letting it slip once. Senior guard Micheal Bagatourian was the leading force in the first, scoring 16 points before the half to bring the Eagles to a 45-37 lead going into the locker room.

While the lead at the half was not comfortable, it was enough for the Eagles to piggyback off of and extend their lead into the remaining minutes. Junior guard Alex Wright and senior guard Chris Rossow both tallied 15 points of their own, and Wright with seven rebounds and Rossow with 10 assists, giving him a double-double on the night.

CONQUERING ON THE COURT

The Eagles came out motivated in the second half shooting the first 17 points. Keeping that fire going the Eagles were able to get to a 20-point advantage, leaving Concordia in the dust. The Eagles were able to acquire 19 points from turnovers and nine second-chance points. The Eagles also made 58 points in the paint compared to their competitors only having 24. The team shot a whopping 83% from behind the arc and 61% from the field which aided them in the blowout win, 94-78. 

The Eagles (2-2) will return home to Chase Gymnasium with the Golden Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 6 in a back-to-back matchup starting at 7 p.m. The live-stream game footage is available on Biola Athletics’ webpage.