LA MIRADA, Calif. - The trio of Darnell Robateau, Brock Mackenzie and Kaden Anderson combined to score 48 points to lead the No. 21 Point Loma men's basketball team to a 71-50 road win over Biola. (Jan. 29)
 
Robateau came close to another triple-double with 18 points (8-of-12), eight rebounds and eight assists. Brock Mackenzie scored 16 points on just six shots, and also had three steals. Kaden Anderson registered his fourth straight game in double-figures with 14 points and seven rebounds. Michael Bagatourian led Biola with 14 points (6-of-15).
 
The game was tied at 31-31 with three minutes to go in the first half. Point Loma then went on a 10-0 run, capped off by a layup from Anderson right before the buzzer to lead 41-31 at halftime. Biola scored the first basket of the second half before the Sea Lions rattled off 11 straight points to go up 52-33. The Eagles would never get the deficit back below 15 points, and the Sea Lions led by as many as 24 in the second half.
 
As important as the run was it was PLNU's defense that was deciding factor in the game. The Sea Lions went to a zone defense early in the game, and the Eagles could never adjust to it, especially with the lack of scoring opportunities in the paint. Biola did have plenty of looks from 3-point range (29) but managed to shoot just .241 percent from deep and .345 percent overall. Meanwhile, PLNU posted its fifth-straight game of shooting at least .450 percent from the field.
 
Team Records
Point Loma (16-3, 12-1 PacWest), Biola (12-8, 8-6 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
With the win, and Azusa Pacific idle until Saturday, PLNU now holds a 1.5 game lead over the Cougars for first place in the PacWest standings. The loss drops Biola into fifth. The top 6 teams in the standings will qualify for the PacWest Tournament at the end of the regular season.  
 
Turning Point
Point Loma's ability to close out the first half with a 10-0 run, and open the second half with an 11-2 run was the difference. It took the game from being tied at 31-31 to a 19-point advantage for the Sea Lions.
 
Words from coach Matt Logie
On PLNU using the zone defense: "I thought we found a nice rhythm with the zone as we settled into the game and just stuck with it because we were getting stops."
 
On the 10-0 run to close the first half: "Towards the end of the first half we ran a few sets and executed really well which got us some high percentage looks."
 
On the Sea Lions' backcourt: "I thought Darnell had an outstanding game. He was aggressive from the jump and was able to create for himself and others, which allowed Brock, Jordan and our other shooters to get some great shots."
 
On the next game: "Concordia is a talented and well-coached team who plays extremely hard. We have to take really good care of the basketball and rebound on both ends. Hopefully, we can learn some things from our first outing and apply those lessons on Saturday."
 
News and Notes
> PLNU has won six straight against Biola, and every meeting since both have been members of the PacWest Conference
> Biola's Jesse Elrod was held scoreless after averaging 10.9 ppg entering the contest
> The Sea Lions limited the Eagles to just 20 points in the paint and outscored them 22-10 in points off turnovers
> This is only the second win for Point Loma in a game that it was outrebounded

Up Next
Point Loma will close its three-game road trip against Concordia on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m.