The men's basketball team opened their season with a loss to #7 Hope International University and Biola University. On Thursday, the team fell to the Royals by a final of 78-55, followed by an 83-66 loss at Biola, on Saturday night.
Hope International starts this season with a #7 ranking, after a historic season last year that saw them reach the NAIA Fab Four, at the Division I level. Against the Golden Eagles they showed why they are worthy of the high preseason ranking, as they executed effectively on both ends of the floor. They enjoyed a 39-24 advantage at the half, on their way to the 78-55 win.
Nicholas Culver led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 10 points. He was the only La Sierra player who scored in double-figures, as Lance Jones added nine points and eight rebounds, while Andre Marquez pitched in with eight points and eight rebounds.
On Saturday night, the Golden Eagles competed with Biola with the exception of a short stretch in the first half and a two-minute span in the second half. Two free throws, by Gerald Williams, cut the Biola lead to six points with 2:41 remaining in the first half, but an 8-2 run to close out the half, pushed the Eagles to a 40-28 halftime lead.
After the Eagles extended their lead to 16 points in the early minutes of the second half, the Golden Eagles chipped away and cut the lead to 66-58 on an Andre Marquez jumper with 6:19 to play. But over the next three minutes, Biola used their size to put together another timely 10-0 run and cruise to victory.
In the loss, Williams led the Golden Eagles with 22 points and eight rebounds. Marquez added 13 points and four rebounds, while Jones and Kevin Batiste scored seven and six points, respectively, along with pulling down five rebounds each.
The men's basketball team is back in action on Tuesday evening when they travel to The Master's College (Santa Clarita, Calif.). The Mustangs are currently 1-0 on the season after defeating Cal Tech, 83-71, back on October 31. Since then The Master's has played two exhibition games, most recently an 84-65 loss to Cal State San Marcos.
