Box Score SANTA BARBARA, Calif. --- Look at it this way. The No. 7 Biola Eagles now have more time to rest before they begin play at the 2017 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Championships.
 
Things did not go as planned, or as desired, in the men's Golden State Athletic Conference semifinals contest against No. 14 The Master's on Saturday evening as the Eagles suffered an 83-68 loss at the hands of the Mustangs.
 
Biola had a challenging shooting night while the Mustangs went through long stretches where they absolutely could not miss from the field. Biola had as many rebounds as TMU and pulled down an astounding 22 offensive rebounds, but because of their shooting woes struggled to keep pace with TMU throughout the night.
 
The two teams played each other close through the first half, with The Master's holding just a slim 32-30 lead at the break, but TMU shot 60 percent in the second half, including 6-of-8 from three, to outscore the Eagles 51-38 down the stretch and pull away with the decisive victory.
 
The Eagles took 26 more shots than the Mustangs throughout the night, but made one fewer buckets in the losing effort.
 
Biola's most effective offensive player was Alex Talma. The big man shot 8-for-17, including 4-of-8 from deep, to tie for the most points by any player in the game with 20.
 
Biola's shot at a second conference title in a row was stymied this evening, but they will have a chance at playing for the national title when they compete at the NAIA Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri March 15-21. The Eagles will find out their tournament seeding and first round matchup during the online selection show on Wednesday March 8.