PROVIDENCE, R.I. --- Three quarters could not separate Biola and LIU, but the final eight minutes sure did.

After playing to ties of 4-4, 9-9 and 13-13 through the first three periods, Biola delivered its best water polo when it mattered most, dominating the fourth quarter 5-1 to defeat the Sharks 18-14 and complete a perfect four-game run through the Harvard Invitational.

The victory pushed the Eagles to 12-13 overall and extended their winning streak to six games.

It was Biola's second-ever meeting with LIU and first since a 17-7 victory over the Sharks at the 2022 Rare Air Invitational. Sunday's finale was dramatically different from that drubbing.

Neither side could generate meaningful separation through the opening half. Biola answered an early LIU goal with three straight from Landon Heuer, Kyle Seifen and Carson Crocket, then Kevin Slack made it 4-2. The Sharks answered with the final two goals of the quarter.

The back-and-forth continued in the second. Gavin Starling, Slack, Micah Hernandez, Noah Ryznar and Heuer each scored, but every Biola push drew an LIU response and the teams reached halftime deadlocked at 9-9.

Starling began taking over after the break.

The junior scored twice in the opening three minutes of the third quarter, and later delivered another with 1:24 remaining to erase a 13-12 LIU advantage. His three-goal third gave Starling four goals for the game, his biggest offensive performance of the weekend. It is his third time this season with four or more goals in a game.

At 13-13, the Eagles finally found the way to create separation.

Ryder Imbriani put Biola ahead just 59 seconds into the fourth. Caden Digby followed with a five-meter conversion, and Jake Burns stretched the margin to 16-13. Hernandez added another at 3:58, giving Biola four unanswered goals to begin the period.

LIU finally broke through with 2:26 remaining, but Ryznar answered 27 seconds later to provide the final 18-14 margin.

The closing period was Biola's most complete of the afternoon. After allowing 13 goals through three quarters, the Eagles surrendered just one in the fourth, while Igor Pinheiro finished the game with 12 saves.

Combined with his 11-save performance earlier Sunday against Salem, Pinheiro piled up 23 saves over 64 minutes in the cage during the day's two victories.

The offense was equally balanced. Starling's four goals led 10 different Biola scorers, while Burns distributed a team-high four assists and Seifen added three.

For Seifen, that completed a remarkable distributing weekend. He totaled 14 assists in four Harvard Invitational games.

Biola now returns to California carrying six straight victories and considerable momentum into WWPA play. The Eagles host Concordia on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at Splash! La Mirada Regional Aquatics Center. It will be arguably the most important evening home match in the history of Biola Men's Water Polo.