LA MIRADA, Calif. -- Not every game in a great rivalry can be a work of art. Sometimes mere graffiti will have to do. Such was the case in the 83rd meeting between NAIA powers and arch-rivals Azusa Pacific and Biola.
The No. 15-ranked Cougars overcame horrendous shooting at the outset of the game to climb out of an early 9-point hole and then used some impressive defense to hold on to a 53-48 victory at No. 19 Biola, Tuesday evening.
It wasn’t for a lack of intensity or effort, which were at their usual fevered pitch for a sell-out Azusa Pacific-Biola contest, but this game had a bone-jarring ugliness to it that made it seem more like a survival of the fittest contest than one that involved hoops.
Combined, the 2 teams missed 63 field goal attempts and together shot 34% (33-of-96) from the floor. They missed 15 free throws, including 4 crucial ones by Azusa Pacific in the final 4 minutes, and seemingly countless lay-ups, and turned the ball over 37 turnovers. In the end, though, it was another entertaining Azusa Pacific-Biola game that wasn’t determined until the final seconds of play.
Five days after getting manhandled at Concordia, Azusa Pacific’s frontline turned the tables and pushed around Biola’s front, and none was more pushy than senior center Danny Rosales, who tallied a team-high 13 points to go along with a career-high 14 rebounds. Just as important, he limited Biola center Adbiodun Medupin, who came into the game averaging 12.4 points a game, to just 5 points on 1-for-7 shooting from the floor.
“We did a better job defensively on keeping the big guys away from the basket tonight than we did against Concordia,” said Azusa Pacific coach Bill Odell. “We have worked on it since the Concordia game, and the guys took up the challenge and did a good job tonight.”
Azusa Pacific led by as much as 10 points on a couple of occasions in the second half, but behind the play of Quintin Lester, who scored 11 of Biola’s final 16 points, the Eagles rallied back and had several opportunities to either tie the game or take the lead in the waning minutes. With the Cougars clinging to a 3-point lead with 38 seconds left, Rosales blocked his only shot of the night, swatting a Lester jumper that that Cougars eventually turned into a pair of game-clinching Larry English free throws.
“I was just trying to help,” explained Rosales about his block. “I rotated over and thought about taking a charge or jump at him, but he pulled up and I had to contest the shot. Fortunately, I got the block.”
“Danny does so many things for us inside,” said Odell. “He is always going to work hard, run the court and give me his best effort every night. He is the most improved guy on the court. He has that fire in his belly now.”
Maybe it was a case of nerves, but Azusa Pacific missed 9 of its first 12 shots and committed 6 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game. As a result, Biola rolled out to 15-6 lead, but the Eagles couldn’t take full advantage of the Cougars’ ineptness. English then ignited a 12-0 Cougar run with a triple from the top of the key and capped by a Rosales jump hook that gave the Cougars the lead for good at 18-15 with 1:44 left in the half. Azusa Pacific eventually settled for a 23-21 lead at the half.
“Our defense was very solid,” said Coach coach Bill Odell. “They create some match-up problems and are a very good team. Offensively, we didn’t get into a flow and Biola did good job of stopping us.”
Azusa Pacific used a 7-2 run to open the second half and moved out to a 7-point lead at 32-25. A Ryan Dillon trey put the Cougars up 39-29, and Spencer Foster later followed with another 3-point basket to briefly keep the lead at 10 at 42-32 at the midway point of the second half.
The Cougars held a 5- to 7-point cushion most of the way until Biola rallied to within 2 at 46-44 following a Lester lay-up with 3:32 left. It was the final basket of the game as the teams traded free throws to the end, Biola making 4 of its final 6 attempts, and Azusa Pacific draining 7-of-10. With less than 80 seconds left in the game and the cougars still holding to a 51-48 lead, Dillon picked off a Medupin cross court pass to thwart another Biola attempt to tie the game or pull to within 1.
Biola was led by Lester’s 17 points. Kellan Eckle added 16 points, including 11 in the first half.
English finished with 12 points and 4 assists for Azusa Pacific.
With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 14-4 overall, and 5-1 in the GSAC to stay within a half game of GSAC front-runner Concordia. Biola falls to 12-3 overall, 3-2 in the GSAC.
