SAN DIEGO - The Point Loma men's basketball team got 23 points and 11 rebounds off the bench from Preston Beverly to defeat its longtime rival, Biola, 68-55, in the first meeting between the teams as PacWest foes.
 
Point Loma led 34-26 at the half and went up as many as 15 points in the second half before Biola began to chip away at the lead. The Eagles cut the Sea Lions' lead to two (50-48) with a 13-0 run in the middle of the second half. PLNU answered by closing the game on an 18-7 run to earn another PacWest win.
 
Beverly got help from Sterling Somers who scored 11 points, and three other Sea Lions with eight points apiece. Isaiah Jones came off the bench to pace Biola with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Team Records
Point Loma (12-6, 6-3 PacWest), Biola (6-10, 0-8 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
The victory jumped the Sea Lions two places up to fourth place in the PacWest standings. The Sea Lions are one of just three teams to post six conference victories this season, and only one other team has played nine conference games. Biola is still looking for its first win over an NCAA Division II opponent. The Eagles are 0-8 in the PacWest and 0-10 against DII teams.
 
The Turning Point
When the Sea Lions' offense has failed this year they have struggled to close out games. Things were looking a little scary after Biola scored 13 straight points to cut PLNU's lead to two with 6:48 on the clock. But Point Loma did not panic. It continued to execute the offense, and it scored on its next five possessions to extend its lead back to double-figures with less than four minutes remaining.
 
Words from Coach Looney
On Preston Beverly's double-double: "We made it a huge emphasis to get the ball to both Preston (Beverly) and Ziggy (Satterthwaite) tonight. Preston just got even more touches because of Ziggy's foul trouble."
 
On closing out the game: "We have talked a lot about on both ends of the court having five guys all on the same page, regardless of the scoreboard. In a crucial moment tonight we were able to do that."
 
On the win: "I am as excited about this win as any we have had this season. Biola is a tough team to play against. They are very physical, very deliberate and the style they play doesn't allow anyone to get too big of a lead on them. So for us to win that by 13, I feel really good about it."
 
On the defense: "This is one area we are really trying to hang our hat. There have been some nights this year that we have struggled offensively and because of that we are trying to be the best possible half court defensive team we can be. We know that on the nights we don't shoot it very well we can still have a chance to win."
 
On the limited turnovers: "I honestly feel we have lost a few games this year because of our turnovers. Tonight Josh (Rodriguez) and Yusuf (Shehata) did a good job slowing down and just running the team tonight. That had a lot to do with our success, and Preston should be thanking them because he got a lot more touches in the post."
 
On upcoming Hawaii Pacific game: "Hawaii Pacific is very good and very talented. We definitely have a bitter taste in our mouth for how things ended (in the PacWest Championship) a year ago. It doesn't give us extra motivation, right now they are just the next opponent on our schedule. We tried not to look past tonight and now we just have a short little window to prepare for HPU."
 
News and Notes
> This was the first game between PLNU and Biola since 2011-12 when both were members of the GSAC
> This was the 96th meeting between the teams in a rivalry that dates back to the 1945-46 season
> PLNU has won six of its last seven PacWest games
> Josh Rodriguez is now within eight assists of matching the all-time PacWest assist record
> Beverly has posted double-doubles in three of his last four games, and leads PLNU with four on the year
> PLNU is 6-0 in conference play when scoring over 60 points
> Point Loma has won the rebounding battle in 16 of 18 games this season
 
Up Next
The Point Loma men's basketball team will host Hawaii Pacific as part of the NCAA DII Basketball Showcase on ESPN this Saturday, Jan. 13. The game will tipoff at 4 p.m. It will be the rematch of the 2017 PacWest Championships.