Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- When you're hot, you're hot. Biola Men's Basketball is certainly scorching right about now as it outlasted its toughest test yet to earn a 79-62 win over Bethesda to improve to 3-0 on Wednesday night.
 
The win was Dr. Dave Holmquist's 924^th career coaching victory. This moved him past Don Meyer (Lipscomb) into fifth on the all-time list of winningest four-year collegiate men's basketball coaches.
 
Holmquist and Meyer were friends in the coaching ranks and Biola's coach reflected very fondly this evening on the times he had to spend with coach Meyer over they years, calling him the "Coaches' Coach" and remarking on the fact that Meyer knew more basketball than anyone else he had ever met.
 
Dr. Dave Holmquist knows a fair bit about basketball as well, and his knowledge and preparation of his team definitely shone through tonight as he led his team to its third victory in six days. This one was the closest of the three games as it came against a Bethesda program that entered the day 4-1 with two big wins over top NAIA programs.
 
"They had good talent and some guys who've had some good success in the past. I was concerned about this game, but I am pleased with how it turned out," said Holmquist.
 
The Flames definitely looked like a dangerous, worthy opponent early on as they kept the game close throughout the first 16 minutes and even held some sizeable leads at times.
 
Bethesda used some early takeaways, crisp passing in transition and some athletic post plays to stand neck-and-neck with Biola at 26 all with 4:23 to play in the first half. However, the tide turned in a hurry as the Eagles' defense tightened its grip and held Bethesda to just one point in that last four minutes and 23 seconds.

During that time the Eagles scored 10 points of their own, six by way of the three-point shot, and extended to a healthy lead heading into the halftime break. Ryan Swain and Blake Shannon, Jr. each dialed up a three-point make in those final minutes as part of strong outings from both players.
 
Swain would go on to score nine points and end with a gritty six-rebound performance while also tacking on three assists. Shannon was ultra-efficient in his 28 minutes on the floor, going 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line to end with 10 points. He also led the team with four assists.
 
The second half was all Biola as the Eagles' began to wear on the Flames' key rotation players and Bethesda began to rack up the fouls. Free throw shooting was a huge area of improvement for Biola in the second half as it went 10-for-12 collectively after shooting only 60 percent from the line in the first half.
 
Right around the midway point of the half the Eagles went on a stretch where they scored 12 of the 15 points put on the board over a four-minute stretch to open their lead to 21 and shut the Flames out for good.
 
"I thought that in the second half we played real hard. Aside from turning the ball over a bit too much I think we did great," said Holmquist.
 
Despite going up against a larger, much more physical opponent the Biola defense looked as close to a Holmquist defense as its looked all season tonight. The Eagles did a fantastic job of forcing outside shots from a team that is not good at all beyond the arc. Bethesda ended the game just 3-for-18 from distance.
 
"It was a really good team effort," said Holmquist.
 
Dakari Archer ended as Biola's team leader in scoring. He put up 17 points, aided by going 9-for-12 from the charity stripe, and added four rebounds and three steals.
 
Caelan Tiongson (13), Shannon (10) and Alex Talma (10) also reached double-digits in the Eagles' first relatively low scoring win. Talma was again impressive as he accumulated his points on 3-for-3 shooting and 4-for-6 free throw shooting in just 17 minutes.
 
Biola improved to 3-0 with the win and will now enter a stretch of three weeks away from home. The Eagles play at Antelope Valley next Tuesday before two NCAA Division II matchups at a tournament hosted at Concordia-Irvine and then a regular road game at Pomona-Pitzer.