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Biola vs. APU MBB postgame APU wins77-68
68
Biola BIO 1-2,1-1 PacWest
77
Winner Azusa Pacific APU 1-1,1-1 PacWest
Biola BIO
1-2,1-1 PacWest
68
Final
77
Azusa Pacific APU
1-1,1-1 PacWest
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Biola BIO 27 41 68
Azusa Pacific APU 42 35 77

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Elrod Has Career Day In Azusa

Jesse Elrod set a career-high with 24 points, but Biola comes up short in late run.

AZUSA, Calif. --- Biola came up just short on Saturday in a game that in a lot of ways felt like the reverse of Friday night's contest. The Eagles got off to a sluggish start, spotting APU a 20+ lead throughout the first half. However, a red-hot Jesse Elrod powered Biola to a big second-half, getting back within five points. Unfortunately for BU, the Cougars did just enough down the stretch to take home a 77-68 win.

The result caused a split in the home-and-home Friday-Saturday doubleheader to open PacWest Conference play. Elrod used 18 second-half points to reach a new career-high with a 24-point effort.

The big man helped Biola to a 41-35 advantage over the final 20 minutes, but some big plays by APU's Mandrell Worthy in the final two minutes helped the hosts secure the victory.

Biola began the game just 1-for-10 from the floor, while the Cougars and Ben Avera in particular worked to build an immediate 20-3 lead. Avera made five of his first six three-point attempts to power the confident Cougars bunch in a dominant first half.

Azusa Pacific used nine made threes in the first half to lead them into the halftime room with a 42-27 lead. Biola used a 7-0 run over the final four minutes of that half to get the game closer after trailing by 20+ for most of the half.

Notably, Azusa Pacific's defense was able to hold the key combination of Michael Bagatourian and Chris Rossow to just two total points in the first 20 minutes. It ended up being a tough night all around for Rossow, who had a season-low two points and fouled out with a handful of minutes left to play. Even with the struggles, the quick point guard still managed six assists and six rebounds.

Biola carried the momentum of the end of the first half into the second half as Jesse Elrod scored the first five points for either team in the second. That made it into a 10-point game and really woke up the Biola bench.

APU answered back with a five-point run of their own, which set up how the rest of the half would progress. Biola run, APU run, Biola run, APU run and ultimately the Cougars outlasted everything, similar to what Biola did yesterday in the Chase Gym win.

Alex Wright recorded his second-consecutive double-double in the loss. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds while playing every minute of the ballgame. Bagatourian bounced back with a bit more offense in the second half to get up to 10 points of his own. 

APU out rebounded the Eagles by 10 in this one (43-33) and got a great performance from their role players, seeing 23 of their 77 points come from non-starters. Conversely, Biola only had eight points from off the bench in this one.

Both teams had 70 possessions in the ballgame, but APU shot for a slightly better percentage and made more three-pointers to help account for the difference in scoring. Additionally, they were able to attain 16 points from the free-throw line, including going 8-for-11 from the line in the final two minutes.

Biola falls to 1-2 (1-1 PacWest) with the loss, while APU gets its first win of the season and is now 1-1 (1-1 PacWest). The Eagles have a tough test in their next pod opponent. BU is at Point Loma on Friday and hosts the Sea Lions on Saturday. The No. 19 PLNU team is 3-0 (2-0 PacWest) and is outscoring its opponents 90.5 to 65.0 so far this season. Tip-off in San Diego is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT on Friday.
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