Box Score SALT LAKE CITY, Utah --- Given Kalipinde scored his game-best 21st point of the night on a tip-in with 1:05 to go and Biola held on for a thrilling 61-60 victory over Rocky Mountain College in the first game of the Westminster College Holiday Classic in Salt Lake City.

The Eagles improve to 8-2 on the season with the victory while dropping the Battlin' Bears to 5-7.

Kalipinde had a solid evening, scoring a season-best 21 points, hitting 8-of-15 from the field and adding eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in his first game running the point for the Eagles.

Chase Adams contributed 11 points for Biola with Zack Zaragoza adding nine points and three rebounds.

The game was a close one from start to finish and featured five ties and eight lead changes with each team leading by as many as eight.

Biola had the first large lead of the night, using an 11-0 run to take a 15-7 lead 14:24 into the contest. The Eagles still led by eight five minutes later when it was Rocky Mountain's turn to go on run. The Battlin' Bears used a long 18-2 run over an eight-minute span to take a 32-24 lead with 1:27 to go in the half.

Biola wound up scoring the final six points of the half on back-to-back three-point plays to make it a 32-30 game at the break.

In the second half, neither team led by more than three through the first 10 minutes with Biola clinging to a 50-49 lead with 9:24 to go. But the Eagles scored six-straight over the next four minutes to slowly build the lead back to seven at 56-49.

The Bears rallied back, though, hitting three-pointers on the next two possessions to make things interesting. Biola still led by one at 59-58 after a three-pointer by Anthony Carter with 1:41 to play. After a timeout, the Eagles milked the clock down and fired up a long three pointer with 1:09 to go. However, the shot rattled off but was tapped back in by Kalipinde to make it a three-point game.

Rocky Mountain answered right back with a layup, but after holding Biola without a bucket, the Bears had one last chance. But a three-point attempt by Joel Barndt was blocked by Davey Hopkins was blocked with six seconds left to seal the win. It was the only block in the game for the Eagles, but a huge one.

Hopkins had 10 rebounds with three assists, two steals and six points.

Barndt scored 15 points and added nine rebounds to lead Rocky Mountain with Nile Finney adding 13 points.

Biola closes out play before the Christmas Break with a game against Westminster College on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time.