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Medina shot
80
Winner Northwest Nazarene NNU 9-1,2-0 Great Northwest
68
Biola BIO 9-3,3-1 PacWest
Winner
Northwest Nazarene NNU
9-1,2-0 Great Northwest
80
Final
68
Biola BIO
9-3,3-1 PacWest
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northwest Nazarene NNU 36 44 80
Biola BIO 43 25 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Ethan McGarvey, Sports Information Director

Medina Hits 29, Esparza Reaches 1,000

The Eagles had big moments in Friday’s contest against Northwest Nazarene but ultimately fell at home.

LA MIRADA --- Biola's final matchup of 2024 saw the team face Northwest Nazarene (9-1) on Friday afternoon. Nathan Medina paced the offense with an impressive showing but the Eagles (9-3) were unable to hold on in a 80-68 loss to the visiting Nighthawks.

Beyond the game, Daniel Esparza hit a career milestone with a three-pointer in the second half. The senior surpassed 1,000 career points, boasting 988 in three years at Biola and 14 in one year at Cal Poly.

In the afternoon contest, Medina shined on the offensive end. The junior netted a new career-best points mark for a single game with 29. 

He went off in the first half, tallying 17 points on seven-of-nine shooting from the field. The only two misses came from beyond the arc. Medina continued to find the bottom of the net, finishing the day with 29 points on 64.7 percent shooting from the field and 80.0 percent shooting from the free throw line.

The difference in the game was the difference between the first and second half. The Eagles were hot on offense in the opening 20 minutes, converting from the floor at a 62.1 percent rate. The game flipped after the half, as the BU squad's shooting percentage dropped to 29.6 percent.

The visiting Nighthawks took advantage and erased the seven point BU halftime lead in the first three minutes of the second half. Biola did not trail though and regained the lead until just after the 12-minute mark. A 13-0 run from NNU gave the visitors the lead that would hold through the final buzzer.

The second half has been a struggle for the Eagles throughout 2024, boasting a positive 111 point differential in the first half and a negative 12 point differential in the second half through the first 12 games of the season.

The Eagles held a block party on Friday with eight rejections as a team. Casey Cappo led the way with four, while Hunter Ruck had two huge blocks, and Erik Howlin and Davian Brown each had one.

Cappo added to his day with 16 points on 5-10 shooting from the field. He also sank five free throws on as many attempts, while adding four rebounds.

Biola will return to conference action following Christmas and New Years, facing Academy of Art on January 2 at 7:30 pm at home.
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