AZUSA, Calif. -- Senior guard
Ryan Dillon sparked a 13-2 run at the close of the first half to give the NAIA's No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific control of the game on its way to a 79-65 victory over No. 18 Biola in a Golden State Athletic Conference game.
Dillon scored 8 of his 15 points in succession to start the run and turn a 25-22 Biola lead into an Azusa Pacific 35-27 halftime cushion. Guard Larry English capped the run with a top-of-the-key trey that propelled Azusa Pacific with the momentum the rest of the way.
Biola, which was fighting to stay in the hunt for a GSAC crown, whittled the Azusa Pacific to as little as 3 at 49-46 with 10:56 left in the game. Yet, the Cougars responded with a 13-3 run, highlighted by freshman Spencer Foster's trey that gave Azusa Pacific an insurmountable 62-49 lead with 8:08 left. Biola could never get closer than 9 down the stretch.
Senior Brett Michel led Azusa Pacific with 18 points, including 11 in the second half, and grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds. He drained a jumper to open the second half, giving Azusa Pacific its first double-digit lead at 37-27 and then later knocked down a 3-point basket from the corner on a 4-point Azusa Pacific possession that pushed the margin to 47-36. Dillon finished with 15 points, while English tossed in 11.
The Cougars seemingly wore down Biola, which subbed only twice in the second half.
"Our defense came through and made things difficult for them," said Cougar coach Bill Odell. "That tired them out, and I think we were just deeper tonight."
Foster came off the bench to score 8 of his 10 points in the second half and grabbed all 6 of his rebounds in the final frame of play.
While the loss realistically ends Biola's run for a second GSAC crown in 3 years, the victory on the other hand keeps Azusa Pacific in the hunt for that title, a game behind front-running and undefeated Concordia, a victor tonight on the road at Christian Heritage. The win is also one step further along in what is the most significant week of play in the Cougars' season. Azusa Pacific hosts Concordia Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
"It was amazing, because on campus they were talking about Concordia," said Odell, "which just never happens on the day of the Biola game. I know we weren't looking ahead, because we respect them and the rivalry."
The game was true to form of what is considered the best small-college rivalry on the west coast. There 7 lead changes and 4 ties, all in the first half, before Dillon sparked the Cougars. A crowd of 2,643, the second largest in GSAC history, added to the intensity of the game.
Azusa Pacific, which enjoys its first regular-season series sweep of Biola since 1999, moves to 23-4 on the season, 14-1 in the GSAC. Biola falls to 19-6 overall, 10-5 in the GSAC.
