LA MIRADA, Calif. --- The Biola University athletic department is taking time during halftime of Saturday's men's basketball game against Point Loma Nazarene University to honor the 1981-82 Men's Basketball team which finished the season as the NAIA National Runners-Up with an incredible record of 39-1.

The ceremony will take place at halftime of the men's game and will feature players from the 1981-82 team. That team is one of the University's most successful since Biola joined the NAIA in the early 1960's and the best in the illustrious history of the Biola men's basketball program.

The dream season started with the Eagles returning all five starters and quickly moving into the top spot in the NAIA National Poll. Biola would maintain that standing throughout the year, winning 35-straight games to earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

However, after winning four-straight NAIA Tournament games to make it to the finals, the Eagles would fall 51-38 in the championship game to an unranked, unseeded University of South Carolina-Spartenburg team which shocked the field and won it all.

Biola ended up setting a national record with 39 wins--at the time the most ever recorded by a college team on any level. The Eagles also were the first NAIA team to hold down the No. 1 national ranking for eight-straight weeks. Co-Head Coaches Dave Holmquist and Howard Lyon--the only co-head coaches in the country at the time--were named NAIA National Coach of the Year as well.

Biola was led by NAIA First-Team All-American Wade Kirchmeyer, who averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, hitting 68% from the field in the contest. He became Biola's first-ever first-team NAIA selection. Mark Sontiski was a second-team All-American, adding 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

The ceremony to honor the team will take place at halftime of the game on Saturday against Point Loma Nazarene University, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $6 and can be purchased at the door.