BOX SCORE

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Biola head coach Dave Holmquist's 1,000th game proved to be something he has not been terribly accustomed to in his 31 seasons of coaching: a heartbreaking loss. Holmquist, who has won 730 games in his career, lost his 270th on Tuesday night as Westmont knocked off Biola 73-69 at Murchison Gymnasium in Santa Barbara.

The Eagles fall to 10-6 on the season after suffering its second straight loss, and fall to 2-4 in GSAC play. The Warriors improve to 8-6 and 2-4 in the conference.

Biola opened the game strong, jumping out to a 17-6 lead after scoring on seven of its first nine possessions. Westmont quickly closed the gap to three with an eight-point run and eventually tied the score at 25-25 with 2:12 to go in the half. However, Josh Salo hit a three from the corner on the next possession followed by a Rocky Hampton tip-in and the Eagles took a 30-27 lead to the locker room.

The second half opened with Biola opening up a six point lead as Danny Jones converted a three-point play for a 33-27 lead. But Westmont refused to go away, using a 7-0 run to take its first lead since scoring the first basket of the game at 40-38. Later in the half, the Warriors broke a 44-44 tie with a four-point run with 8:13 left and extended it to six with 4:46 to go on a Dan Rasp jumper.

Biola pulled back to within three on a triple by Salo on the next possession. After forcing a Westmont turnover, the Eagles had a chance to tie the game up, but Salo missed an open three and Josh Ware hit a three-pointer of his own on the other end to put the Warriors back on top by six.

The Eagles didn't quite, however, pulling back within two at 68-66 with 28 seconds left as Danny Campbell hit a pair of free throws. But Westmont connected on five of their final six free throws to maintain the lead and pull out the eventual win.

Campbell led the way for the Eagle with 17 points, nine of which came in the game's final three minutes. Marlon King added 16 points and four rebounds and Salo poured in 14 off the bench. Biola's big men–Jones and sophomore Rocky Hampton–struggled against the undersized Westmont lineup, combining for just 20 points and 12 rebounds. The two had teamed up to average over 28 points and 18 boards through the first 15 games of the season.

Rasp led the way for the Warriors with 17 points–11 in the second half–while Nasa Sete contributed 15.

Holmquist runs his overall record to 730-270 in his 31 seasons as a collegiate coach, the last 27 of which have been for his alma mater. He is just the 40th coach to reach the 1,000 game plateau and just the seventh in the NAIA. He is also in the top 20 in all four-year classifications in wins with 730.

Biola's next game is slated for Saturday (Jan. 19) as the Eagles host No. 3-ranked Concordia University in a GSAC game at 7:30 p.m. at Chase Gymnasium.