BOX SCORE
IRVINE, Calif. --- Joe Roberson hit a running jumper in the lane with five seconds left as No. 7 Concordia Univeristy held off Biola University 73-71 in a Golden State Athletic Conference men's basketball game Saturday night in Irvine.
Biola, which has now lost two-straight games, drops to 9-8 on the season and 3-4 in GSAC play. Concordia, which entered the game ranked No. 7 in the latest NAIA National Poll, improves 14-3 and 5-2 in conference.
Biola had five players score in double-figures, led by the 17 points of freshman forward Rocky Hampton. Senior guard Solomon Mercado added 13 points and seven assists.
The final eight minutes of the game were tight with neither team holding a lead of more than three points over that stretch.
Concordia's Levi Lester hit what seemed to be a game-winning three pointer with 41 seconds to go in the game, but Mercado came right back down the court and drilled a trey of his own to tie the game at 71-71 with 27 seconds remaining. But that just set the stage for Roberson's heroics with five seconds left with Biola unable to respond.
Biola actually had a 12-point lead with four minutes to play in the first half after a 12-0 run gave the team a 31-19 lead with 4:04 left. However, Concordia closed out the half with a run of its own to pull within one at 35-34 at intermission.
Concordia's trademark three-point barrage was on display again as the team attempted over half of its shots from beyond the arc. CU players were 10-of-32 from three-point range while Biola--which hadn't been shooting particularly well from long-range--hit a respectable 5-of-8.
Additionally, Concorida hed a 14-3 edge in offensive rebounds leading to an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Biola guard Matt Emadi and Kevin Cook each scored 12 points in the losing effort with forward Danny Jones adding 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Adam Greenaway led Concordia with 17 points while Luster added 14 points.
Biola travels up to face Fresno Pacific on Tuesday (Jan. 16) for a 7:30 p.m. GSAC showdown.
