IRVINE, Calif. - Back on the court for a game for the first time in 20 days, the No. 8 Point Loma men's basketball team had to battle on the road for a 76-71 win over Concordia.
 
Brock Mackenzie poured in 19 points to lead five Sea Lions in double-figures. He also tied for the team lead with five rebounds and two steals. Myles Franklin added 12 points, while Kaden Anderson, Luke Haupt, and Josh Caston each chipped in with 10. Concordia's Kayle Knuckles led all scorers with 21 points.
 
After shooting over .500 percent in their first three contests of the season, the Sea Lions made just .429 percent of their shots and only 2-of-13 from behind the arc, but still found a way to win. They reached the free throw line 31 times and made 26 of their shots from the charity stripe, including 15-of-16 in the second half. They also turned the ball over just 10 times compared to 14 for the Eagles.
 
The Sea Lions used a 7-0 run early in the first half to go up 14-7 and they would never surrender their advantage again, despite Concordia cutting the lead to a single basket on multiple occasions. PLNU built a nine-point lead at halftime (37-28) and stretched it to 13 (46-33) early in the second half.
 
A few minutes later, CUI put together a 7-0 run of its own to cut the lead to five (50-45). The Sea Lions were able to get their advantage back to double-digits a few times but it seemed the Eagles always had an answer. Concordia cut it down to three (69-66) with 1:46 remaining before a jumper by Myles Franklin pushed it back to five with just over a minute left. Concordia's Andrew Ammann then hit a shot with 54 seconds left and CUI had a chance to tie it following a PLNU miss, but the Sea Lions forced a turnover and then hit 5-of-6 free throws in the final 21 seconds to hold on for their seventh straight win over the Eagles.
 
Team Records
#8 Point Loma (4-0, 3-0 PacWest), Concordia (0-8, 0-7 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
PLNU remains as the only undefeated team (3-0) in the PacWest SoCal pod. Biola is in second place at 4-1.
 
Words from coach Matt Logie
On the win and getting back on the court: "I'm really proud of our guys for how they responded on the road after a 20-day layoff from games and only two practices before tonight."
 
On playing in a tight game: "It is a huge blessing every chance we get to play. We showed tremendous toughness and grit."
 
News and Notes
> Point Loma has won 11 straight games dating back to last season
> PLNU has had the lead in the game in 155 of the 160 minutes played this season
> The two 3-pointers made are the lowest for Point Loma since also making just two against Concordia on Jan. 3, 2018
> After not defeating Concordia for 10 straight years (13 straight losses), PLNU has now won seven straight against the Eagles

Next
The Sea Lions and Eagles will meet again tomorrow at Golden Gym in San Diego to close out their four-game season series. The game will tip-off at 4:30 p.m., as part of PLNU's Virtual Homecoming.