Mesa, Ariz. - The men's basketball team was defeated by a final of 94-82, at Benedictine University – Mesa, on Saturday night. Despite a comeback in the second half, the team was unable to overcome a first half deficit. The Golden Eagles will return home this week for two games.

After playing their most complete defensive game of the season, La Sierra was unable to harness the Red Hawks outside shooting, giving up 58 first half points, to trail 58-32 at the halftime break. In the second half, the Golden Eagles turned the tables and outscored the Red Hawks, 50-36, but were unable to completely erase the deficit.

La Sierra struggled from the field, shooting just 39 percent, including just 6-of-27 from the three-point line. The team also struggled from the charity stripe as they capitalized on just 12 of 25 opportunities.

The Golden Eagles did win the rebounding battle by a margin of 57-45, including 27-15 on the offensive boards.

The team finished with four players scoring in double-figures. Kenny Lewis led the team with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Rey Solorzano had another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while Isaac Deese and DJ Everage added 17 points and 14 points, respectively.

The team will briefly step away from conference play on Thursday evening, when they host the University of California – Santa Cruz for a non-conference match-up, at 5pm.