LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Dwight Gordon scored a game-high 21 points, Nate Rakestraw added 13 and Biola's second-ranked defense held California Baptist University to just 36 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers in rolling to a 67-49 win over the Lancers Saturday night on Dave Holmquist Day at Chase Gymnasium.
On a night when the Biola campus honored its head coach of 30 years for collecting his 800th win back in December, the NAIA's No. 16-ranked Biola did just about everything right using its trademark defense and high-percentage, shot clock incinerating offense to methodically pull away from the Lancers.
The loss drops the Lancers to 11-10 overall, 5-7 GSAC. It is just their second loss in the past six games.
The Eagles have now won 12 of 14 and improve to 19-3, 9-3.
Gordon scored 14 of his points in the first half as the Eagles wrestled control of the game. He went 6-for-9 from the floor with a pair of treys in the first 20 minutes. The Eagles hit five of their seven 3-pointers in the first half.
Meanwhile the Eagle defense limited the Lancers to just 17 first-half points and just six field goals, which included misfiring on all three of their 3-point attempts. Biola built up a 27-17 halftime lead and never led by less than nine the rest of the night.
As efficient as the Eagles were in the first half, they shot an even better 60.9 percent (14-for-23) in the second half. They also outscored the Lancers, 32-5, on points on turnovers.
Luke Evans led the Lancers with 14 points and seven rebounds. Ivan Patterson chipped in with a career-high tying 12 points. Brannon Bradley added eight points and six rebounds.
Gordon finished with 21 points and six rebounds. Rakestraw hit three of the Eagles' seven treys.
The Lancers got within 30-21 on a Patterson jumper just 2:32 into the second half, but the Eagles scored seven straight to push the margin up to 16 (37-21) on a 12-foot baseline jumper by Josh Miller. That was their largest lead to that point. Miller's 3-pointer with 4:18 left gave the Eagles their largest lead of the night, 61-39.
The Lancers' 49 points is their second-lowest total this season, just two
points better than the 47 they scored in a 60-47 loss to Westmont Dec. 9.
