Box Score LA MIRADA, Calif. --- It was no easy task for No. 7 Biola Men's Basketball to get past unranked Menlo College on Saturday evening, but thanks to some big second-half improvements the Eagles were able to get it done. Biola overcame a first half where they shot just 26 percent to walk away with a 69-62 victory.
 
The biggest differences between the two halves were the scoring outputs of Blake Shannon, Jr. and Dakari Archer. Archer was held to just two made free throws in the first half, but he broke out for nine in the second. Shannon had four in the first before exploding for 13 in the second.
 
Ryan Swain, who would be the game's leading scorer with 19 points, was unstoppable in both halves and was a huge reason the Eagles were able to avoid an upset on a night where everyone was up tight from the opening whistle to the final buzzer.
 
The Oaks put together a very good first half of basketball. They scored the first basket of the game, traded buckets for a little while and then got real hot as they opened up a lead of as much as nine midway through the frame.
 
"Menlo came out to play. They are a super hard team and we give them all the credit for their play early on," said Shannon.
 
The Oaks first got the lead up to nine with a Ben Graham three-pointer at the 7:51 mark. That made the score 21-12 and capped a 13-4 run for the visiting team.
 
 Menlo spread the ball around incredibly well through the first 20 minutes, seeing eight different players get on the score sheet in that first half. The reason they had so many scorers is because they could not maintain discipline early on. They committed 14 personal fouls in the first half, which got them into foul trouble in a big way.
 
They also had some troubles shooting the ball, but were lifted by three three-point makes and 15 bench points in the first half. Even when they did miss they were able to take advantage of it because of strong rebounding early on. They led the game 29-26 at the halftime break thanks in large part to the extra possessions provided by outrebounding the Eagles 21-14.
 
The only reason Biola was able to stay in the game as well as they did is because of really good foul shooting. BU was 13-of-15 from the line to take full advantage of the extra fouls committed by the Oaks.
 
After what must have been a spirited halftime talk from Dr. Dave Holmquist the Eagles came out much stronger in the second half and flipped the script on what was a very uncomfortable game early.
 
They would ultimately end with a narrow edge on the glass and also shot 54 percent in the final 20 minutes to return to the shooting form we are used to seeing from this experienced bunch.
 
"I think a big difference in the second half was staying out of foul trouble, especially with our bigs," said Shannon. "We did a lot better with the fouls in the second half and we came out much more aggressive."
 
Another big difference was the early production of Archer. He was a spark plug with some quick layups.
 
"Whenever we need a basket it seems like Dakari scores it, whenever we need somebody to get to the basket or find somebody, Dakari does it," said Shannon. "I just expect it now. He is the energizer guy who leads us."
 
Outside of that it continued to be the Shannon and Swain show as the two returners lit it up from the field. Swain made four of his six second-half shots and was perfect from the free-throw line and Shannon was 3-for-4, with all three of his attempts coming from three-point land.
 
He also displayed some fantastic decision-making as he drove to the basket twice to draw more Menlo fouls. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the line in the second half as he helped the Eagles go 12-of-12 as a team.
 
"Being in the role I am I tend to be more of a facilitator, which has definitely worked out over the past three years," said Shannon. "Once the ball starts going in, the coaches have always said I have a green light. It was great to see the ball go in. Maybe this can be the turnaround for the rest of the season."
 
Biola sealed the game with those good free throws down the stretch and improved to 19-2 (5-2 GSAC) on the season. Menlo fell to 9-9 (2-4 GSAC). The Eagles are back in action on Tuesday at Vanguard (14-5, 3-2 GSAC) at 7:30 p.m. Biola beat Vanguard at THE PIT in 2015-16 by overcoming an 18-point second-half deficit and scoring a final possession go-ahead basket.