LA MIRADA, Calif. – After leading for most of the game, the No. 24 Point Loma men's basketball team was forced to comeback in the final minutes earn a 68-65 win at Biola, and to maintain its perfect PacWest record.
 
Point Loma was in control the throughout the first half, leading 32-23 at the break, but a third foul on Daulton Hommes early in the second period threw off the Sea Lions' rhythm and allowed Biola to come from behind and take the lead. After Hommes' third foul, the Eagles went on a 16-6, capped by a jumper from Alex Wright, to take their first lead since the opening basket of the game (45-43) with 10:46 left in the second half.
 
The teams would trade baskets and leads over the next eight minutes until Point Loma closed the game out at the free throw line. Hommes gave the Sea Lions the lead for good with two free throws at the 1:56 mark. After that, PLNU would go 8-for-8 from the charity stripe to close out the road win.
 
Hommes lead all scorers with 19 points. He was 6-of-6 from the free throw as Point Loma finished 17-of-19 from the line. Tanner Nelson added 10 points, and four other Sea Lions had at least seven points. Alex Wright led four Eagles in double figures with 14 points.

Team Records
Point Loma (12-2, 8-0 PacWest), Biola (6-6, 2-4 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
The win gave Point Loma sole possession of first place in the PacWest Conference, with a half-game lead over Concordia (11-5, 7-0 PacWest). The Eagles will play next on Saturday, Jan. 5. The loss drops Biola into eighth place at 2-4 (6-6 overall).

 The Turning Point
A good stretch by Preston Beverly and Daulton Hommes coming back in the game were big factors in Point Loma holding Biola off for the road win. In a three-possession stretch with under five minutes to go, Beverly made a back-cutting layup, blocked a driving layup by Biola before collecting the rebound and then made the pass which set up the assist to Ziggy Satterthwaite. Hommes returned to the game moments later with four fouls and helped PLNU close out Biola down the stretch.

Words from coach Looney
On Sea Lions' free throw shooting: "That was the best thing we did. Going 17-of-19 from the line is truthfully the reason we won the game."
 
On Biola: "They play a very deliberate style, and if you aren't careful you can allow them to hang around. We turned it over a few too many times and didn't do a good enough good on the glass which made the possession battle almost even."
 
On what PLNU can learn from this game: "Learning to win on the road is a process, so for us with the limited amount of road games we have played, any time you can experience winning on the road the faster we can grow. It wasn't pretty, but we feel pretty good coming off the break and winning three games in six days."
 
On next game at APU: "The first thing we need to do is rest. We are going to take tomorrow off, and that will leave us with three days to get ready for Azusa Pacific."

News and Notes
> The win continues the best start in PacWest history for PLNU
> Point Loma has outrebounded its last seven straight opponents, and 12 of 14 opponents this year
> Hommes has scored in double figures in all 14 games this season
> Point Loma has made as many free throws as its opponent has attempted in 11 games (11-0)
> This was just the fourth time PLNU has been held below 70 points
> With two more steals tonight, Rodriguez moved within three steals of PLNU's all-time record (182, Brett Psilopoulos)

Up Next
The Point Loma men's basketball team will be back in action on Monday, Jan. 7 when it travels to Azusa Pacific (8-6, 5-2 PacWest) to complete the regular season series. The game will tipoff at 7:30 p.m.