Box Score SANTA CLARITA, Calif. --- Biola made two of the first three shots of the game and then never again led in a game that was deceivingly and tantalizingly close throughout.
Ultimately, The Master's College pulled out a 71-69 home win to break the deadlock between these two teams in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings. The Mustangs parlayed a big first half shooting performance into a narrow victory as their defense was just barely able to hold on once the shooters went cold.
TMC held a 33-27 lead at the half thanks to its 15-of-29 performance being exactly four made shots better than the Eagles' first-half performance. Biola was also unusually inconsistent from behind the three-point line, going just 1-for-7 in the first half.
It was in the first half (with 10:03 remaining) that The Master's College experienced its largest lead of the game (12 points). The Eagles spent the remainder of the game attempting to close that gap, and while things got much better in the second half it never did quite happen.
Biola shot the ball much better in the second frame, including a 5-of-11 mark from deep, with three of those makes coming from
Pierre Zook. Zook would be the Eagles' leading scorer in this losing effort with 22 points (14 in half two).
Unfortunately for he and the Eagles, TMC had Russell Byrd, who was lights-out in the second half, picking up 21 of his game-high 23 points. He was 4-of-6 for the field and an amazing 12-of-13 from the line as he compiled 56 percent of the Mustangs' second-half points.
He made six free throws inside the final minute, helping The Master's College hang on despite the gap lessening to within one.
The two sides combined for 70 points in the paint in a game played primarily with inside scoring as neither team truly capitalized on the three-point shot, shooting 33 percent or under from three-point range.
Biola's loss to The Master's College evens its record against the Mustangs to 1-1. The Eagles have split the regular season series against TMC every year since 2011-12.
The Golden State Athletic Conference standings shuffle a bit, with every spot except Vanguard's No. 5 seed still up for grabs. Biola has the potential to be the No. 6, No. 7 or No. 8 seed in next week's tournament.
It will be decided on Saturday night as Biola (16-13, 4-11 GSAC) plays No. 19 Westmont (19-9, 11-4 GSAC) on the road.
