(LA MIRADA, Calif.) With a second win over Biola in a week, PLNU Men's Basketball is back atop the PacWest standings.
With first place in the conference on the line yet again, Point Loma defeated Biola 73-68 on Wednesday night to jump the Eagles back into first place.
The two teams previously met in San Diego on Jan. 10, as PLNU prevailed to jump BU in the standings.
But after Point Loma lost to Fresno Pacific on Saturday and Biola beat Azusa Pacific, that setup a rematch on Wednesday with the same stakes as the previous week.
And the Sea Lions came out victorious once again, helped by 50% shooting from 3-point range and clutch free throws down the stretch.
"First of all, all glory to God for the opportunity to compete together at this game we love," Head Coach
Justin Downer said. "We have special players. They love each other, they love our school and they take pride in the tradition that our program has."
Luke Smith scored 15 points in the first half on 6-for-8 shooting (3-for-5 3-pt.), giving Point Loma a 37-31 halftime advantage.
Multiple Sea Lions then stepped up in key moments late in the second half, with
Tyce Paulsen's fadeaway beating the shot clock and a
Coby Barnes triple putting the visitors back up by five.
With Point Loma up by three in the final minute,
Zack Paulsen came up with a huge offensive rebound to take valuable time off the clock.
Tyce Paulsen then sank three of four free throws in the final 21 seconds to close out the victory, as PLNU made 14 free throws total in the second half.
"They have dealt with adversity every step of the season and they just refuse to back down," Downer said of his players. "They are right here, right now in the journey, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us the rest of the way."
Smith led the team with 19 points, as
Tyce Paulsen and
Coby Barnes were close behind with 17 apiece.
Zack Paulsen made it four Sea Lions in double figures with his 11, adding eight rebounds and five assists.
Point Loma (12-5 overall, 7-2 PacWest) now travels to Hawaii for three games next week, beginning on Tuesday at Hawai'i Hilo. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. HT.
