Men’s basketball took a heart-wrenching 70-71 loss against rivals Azusa Pacific University on Saturday night. Biola had multiple chances to take the lead down the stretch but failed to execute, moving them to 13-5 in the PacWest Conference.

Redshirt senior guard Chris Rossow filled the stat sheet, getting five steals, rebounds and assists while scoring a team-high 24 points. Redshirt senior forward Michael Bagatourian had a solid scoring night with 12 points, but was effective moving the ball, getting eight assists. Redshirt junior guard Alex Wright had 13 points with seven rebounds.

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

The Eagles led 35-31 after a tight first half against the Cougars. A tough 2-3 zone defense from the visitors was making life difficult for the Eagles on the offensive end, revealed in the teams 42% field goal percentage in this period.

The visitors were able to flip the script in the opening minutes of the second half, and had gained a six-point lead by the 12-minute mark. The Cougars retained their lead for the rest of the game, but that did not mean Biola was without opportunities to come back.

The Eagles had multiple offensive possessions in the final two minutes that could have changed the outcome of the game, and the Cougars’ shaky free-throw shooting gave the team even more hope. However, the Eagles were unable to capitalize with the game ending 70-71.

Men’s basketball (19-6 overall, 13-5 conference) will be on the road to take on Academy of Art University on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m. Footage and stats from the game are located on the Biola Athletics website.