LA MIRADA, Calif. – Down by 12 points (76-64) with just 1:52 remaining in the game, the NAIA's No. 6-ranked Azusa Pacific mounted a furious comeback and had the ball with a chance to tie with a 2 or win with a 3, but missed on one shot and 2 put back attempts in narrowly falling to top-ranked Biola, 85-83, in La Mirada.
 
With the win, Biola increases its GSAC lead to 1 game over Westmont and 2 games over the Cougars.
 
It could be said that this was another classic in a long line of Azusa Pacific-Biola games, but it took 38 minutes to get there. The Eagles, who earlier in the day were narrowly voted into the top spot in the NAIA Coaches Poll, seemed headed for an easy victory as they used a 13-4 run midway through the second half to turn a 53-49 lead into the game's largest lead 66-53 with 5:13 to go. 
 
During the 6:12 stretch, the Cougars misfired on 5-of-6 shots and committed 5 of their 11 turnovers.
 
The Eagles then kept Azusa Pacific at a double-digit distance for the next 3:30 until John Bourne hit 2 free throws to bring the Cougars within 9 (76-67) with 1:43 to play, and the comeback was on.  Bourne scored 10 of his team-high 20 points in the final minute and a half of play.
 
"Our comeback wasn't so much the adjustments that we made, but rather the intensity and character that our guys showed," said Azusa Pacific head coach Bill Odell.  "We were able to pick up our play, and that made all the difference for us in that final stretch.  We wouldn't have been in that position however, if we wouldn't have given up so many offensive rebounds."
 
Biola's Bryan Weakley hit a pair of free throws, and Bourne answered with the first of 2 treys in the final minutes, cutting the deficit to 8 (78-70) with 1:36 to play.  The Cougars forced a Weakley turnover that Bourne converted into a lay-up to bring the Cougars within 6 (78-72) just 13 seconds later.  However, on the ensuing inbound pass, Bourne was called for an intentional foul and B.J. Foster converted both free throws, pushing the lead back to 8.
 
On the next inbound pass, Foster turned the ball over and Jeff Staniland converted a 3-point play to cut the deficit to 5 (80-75) with 1:07 to play.  Foster then converted 1-of-2 free throws, and Steve McIlwain answered with his only bucket of the game, a three-point bomb from the deep corner, to bring the Cougars within 3 (81-78) with 52 seconds left.
 
After a Biola lay-up and a pair of Caleb Gervin free throws, Kevin Augustine hit 1-of-2 free throws to give Biola a 4-point advantage (84-80) with 28 seconds left.  Ten seconds later, Bourne buried his second trey of the game pulling the Cougars within one (84-83), and again Foster converted just 1-of-2 free throws, setting up the final 15 seconds.
 
McIlwain drove baseline and put up a 6-footer that rimmed in and out, and Anthony Haggins and McIlwain each got their fingertips on what would have been game tying put backs, but both fell just short as the final buzzer sounded.
 
Bourne ended with 20 points and 5 rebounds.  Senior center Gary Dredge continued the best stretch of his 4-year career, scoring a career-high 19 points, hitting all 7 shots from the floor and all 5 free throws.  Gervin added 16 points for the Cougars. Augustine led all players with 25 points.
 
With the loss, Azusa Pacific falls to 13-3 overall, 5-2 in the GSAC.  Biola remains undefeated at 17-0, 6-0 in the GSAC.