Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola battled back and forth with No. 21 Hope International and kept the score close through the first 30 minutes of the game, but the Royals closed out the game on a 22-10 run to win 60-47 in a GSAC game on Tuesday night at Chase Gymnasium.
The Eagles saw their two-game winning streak come to an end as they fall to 14-13 on the season and fall to 4-7 in conference play. The Royals snap a three-game losing streak and improve to 22-5 and to 7-4 in the GSAC.
Mike Kurtz led Biola with 14 points with David Cline adding eight points and 10 rebounds and Kyle Bailey scoring seven points and pulling down a game-high 13 boards.
The Eagles hung around with Hope International through much of the game, shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half to lead 31-27 at halftime.
In the second half, the Royals opened the second half strong and tied the game at 33-33 early on. Neither teams as able to find the bucket for much of the opening eight minutes of the half, but Hope's Jeremy Kilgore helped Hope turn the game around in a hurry. Kilgore hit a three-pointer with 11:18 left in the game to give Hope a 38-36 lead--a lead it would not relinquish. After a free throw by Bailey on the next possession made it a one-point game, the teams traded possessions without points.
But Kris Rosales broke the drought with a basket to start the game-ending run, keying a streak of 10-straight possessions with points for the Royals. After a Biola turnover, Kilgore drained back-to-back three-pointers to quickly stretch the lead to nine. Two minutes later he hit another three-pointer to make it a 10-point game with 4:49 left. Biola missed baskets on its next two trips down the court and Hope quickly transitioned back to offense, running the close and finishing with fast-break points to pull away.
Kilgore finished the game with 18 points--16 of which came in the second half. Hope shot an impressive 63.6 percent in the second half while holding Biola to just 21.9 percent shooting including 0-of-6 from three-point range.
All of the Eagles struggled in the second half except for Kurtz who had seven points and two blocks and hit 3-of-4 from the field. But Biola's guards were a combined 1-for-19 in the second half while Hope's guard trio hit 10-of-14 from the field.
Biola dominated the rebounding column which helped keep the team in the game as long as it did. The Eagles out-rebounded Hope 39-25 including an 18-5 edge in offensive rebounds, turning those offensive boards into 16 points. But 15 Biola turnovers led to 14 points by the Royals including 10 on five miscues in the second half.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, hosting Concordia University (16-9, 5-6 GSAC) in a key GSAC battle at 7:30 p.m.
