(SAN DIEGO) It just didn't seem to be Point Loma's night.
Ninth-ranked PLNU Men's Basketball started the game 0-for-11 from 3-point range, as Biola developed an early double-digit advantage.
But the Sea Lions kept their nerve, because that's what champions do.
Point Loma clinched its second-straight PacWest regular season championship, storming back to beat Biola, 78-64, on Wednesday night in Golden Gym.
"Our program is thrilled to be in the position it's in," Head Coach
Matt Logie said. "We've been very fortunate over these last four years to compete for championships. It's never taken for granted.
"The process you have to go through as a group of people is an amazing experience. To get to this point and see the joy on these guys' faces for what they've been through in creating this opportunity, is really special.
"This is a program where we expect to compete for championships year-in and year-out. It's really about sticking to that process and hopefully creating opportunities like this one step at a time."
For fifth-year forward
Kaden Anderson, who has now won a combined five PacWest regular season and PacWest Tournament titles, this one ranks at the top of them all.
"I think this is the best one," Anderson said. "This is probably the most fun I've had in a year of playing basketball. The credit goes to all the guys and the coaches. Every time we step on the floor, whether it's going well or going bad, we know we're brothers and we'll get through it. We're just having a great time. We've got a lot to play for."
For much of the first half, it looked like Point Loma would have to wait another day to clinch the outright conference championship.
That was until an 8-0 run late in the opening period helped the Sea Lions get to within three points at the half.
"Shots started falling. We started getting some stops and running," said
Luke Haupt, who tied his career-high with 26 points. "I think the beauty with this team is when we're down, we never feel like we're going to lose the game.
"There's been a couple times this year where we've gone down and everybody is just ready to make the next play. In the huddle, we're staying together and not chirping at each other. Those key things in our maturity is why we can come back in games like that where we're not shooting the ball great in the first half."
Haupt's reverse lay-in tied the game in the second half, before his 3-pointer gave the Sea Lions their first lead of the game with 12:33 to play.
Less than two minutes later,
Brian Goracke brought the house down with a thunderous slam to put Point Loma up by six.
At that point, the home crowd was more than electric in its support of the Sea Lions.
"They were awesome," Logie said of the crowd. "To me, that's what this is all about – the experience and the moments that create memories for these guys. Quite frankly, they deserve it. The students have been awesome all year, showing up and building that momentum for us."
And while the Sea Lions struggled from deep early, their fortunes reverted to the mean in the second half, with Goracke, Haupt and
Tobin Karlberg all connecting from downtown on consecutive possessions to push Point Loma's lead up to 15 with eight minutes remaining.
From there, it was just the formality of the final buzzer sounding before celebrations ensued.
"These guys have earned this," Logie said. "They've put the time in, in and out of season, to create opportunities like tonight."
Joining Haupt (six rebounds, seven assists) in double figures were Anderson (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Karlberg (15 points), with Goracke (nine points) nearly making it four Sea Lions to score 10+ points.
Point Loma (22-3 overall, 17-0 PacWest) has now won 18-straight games, which ranks second all-time in program history and only behind the 1952-53 team that won 28 in-a-row.
"We're not done yet," Logie said. "We've got three more home games left that are guaranteed and we're fighting to put ourselves in the best position to maybe host the regional."
With the PacWest title secured, PLNU will now shift its focus toward prepping for the postseason, beginning with Saturday's home game against Concordia at 4 p.m.
"We'll stick to our process," Logie said on the team's mentality going into the final three games of the regular season. "These guys are super competitive. They're going to go for it all. It's our job as coaches to try and help manage that process and keep them fresh and prepared.
"The support that we're given (from the administration and athletic staff) is something that we don't take lightly, so we owe everybody our best effort moving forward."
