Box Score

LA MIRADA, Calif. - With seven seconds left and Fresno Pacific trailing Biola 59-58, it seemed everyone in the gym knew who would be getting the ball. Donte Nicholas had already scored 20 points and had just gone coast to coast and converted a three-point play that trimmed the Eagle lead from four points down to one.

After two missed Biola free-throws, coach Chris Wright and the Sunbirds called timeout to set up a final play. Wright opted to put the ball in the hands of Nicholas, knowing his scoring ability, but also his skill in passing and decision-making.

Nicholas inbounded the ball to Eric Hipolito, who gave it right back to Nicholas. He drove left, but ran into defenders and had to pick up his dribble.

“I pump-faked, but he didn't go for it,” said Nicholas, who quickly had two defenders on him with the clock ticking down. “So I went up and tried to get some contact. They didn't call anything, so I just had to put up a shot.”

What resulted was an off-balance jumper with defenders draped all over him that found nothing but net, sending the Sunbird bench into a frenzy. A full-court heave by Biola would bounce off the backboard, giving the Sunbirds a much-needed win.

“It was a team-effort, the ball just happened to be in my hands at the end,” said Nicholas who, despite his numerous basketball accolades, had yet to sink a last-second game-winner in his career.
 
“I've only had the ball in a game-end situation like this once before, in junior college, and I missed a mid-range jumper,” said Nicholas. “So this was definitely a number-one moment, but more-so because of how much we needed this win. This is a battle-tested group and I have to credit my coach and my teammates.”

Despite being undermanned, missing both George DeLeon and Zach Kaul to injury, the Sunbirds battled all night, diving for loose balls, fighting for rebounds and maximizing their effort playing the zone on defense.

“Everyone knew coming into tonight that we were going to have to pick it up and play a little bit harder,” said Nicholas. “Some complacency set in after the Azusa win and we ended up dropping a game we shouldn't have, so we made sure we came in focused and ready to handle business tonight.”

The win brought the Sunbirds (12-6, 3-4 GSAC) back to within two games of the conference lead.

FPU controlled most of the game, finishing the first half on a 16-3 run to take a 36-26 halftime lead after an acrobatic shot by Nicholas beat the first-half horn. In the second half though the Eagles would slowly chip away at the lead and eventually tie it in the final five minutes.

Biola took a brief lead on a three-pointer with 4:21 remaining but Matt Christman quickly answered with a three of his own for FPU to put the Sunbirds up 55-53. Biola would tie it on the next possession and neither team would score for a three-minute span until the Eagles' Given Kalipinde threw up a three with the shot-clock winding down that found the net.

The Sunbirds then turned the ball over and it looked like yet another bad break in a season that has already seen its fair share of disappointments. After a free-throw, Biola now had its largest lead since early in the first half.

“You've gotta give Biola a lot of credit for the way they battled back,” said Wright. “We looked rattled and a bit defeated after that.”

Wright would make sure to get the ball in the hands of Nicholas though, who drove the length of the floor and drew a foul while making the bucket. Two missed free-throws on the other end would then set the stage for his aforementioned late-game heroics.

“We definitely want to get the ball in his hands,” said Wright. “He's one of the best players in the country and we knew that he would make the right plays down the stretch.”

Nicholas finished with 22 points to lead the Sunbirds (12-6, 3-4 GSAC). Hipolito added 13 points and Christman had 12. Antonio Credit led all players with nine rebounds, despite fouling out, and gave the Sunbirds a huge boost in terms of energy. Nicholas finished with seven rebounds and four assists as well.
 
The Eagles, despite 20 points from Chase Adams, dropped to 12-7, 2-5 in GSAC play. Davey Hopkins added 14 points in the loss.

FPU and Biola had both been ranked nationally up until just two weeks ago, as both teams fell victim to the brutal GSAC schedule over the last couple weeks. The Sunbirds' ability to win tonight's game on the road however puts them in a good position at 3-4 in league play, with no team running away in the standings and four teams currently tied for first at 5-2.

The Sunbirds face another talented GSAC opponent, Vanguard, on Saturday at home at 4:30 pm. The Lions are tied with the Sunbirds at 3-4 in the league standings.

“I'm just really proud of our guys and the way they believed in each other and willed us to a win tonight,” said Wright. “Now we've got to take care of business at home on Saturday.”

GSAC Standings
Today's Action
Hope International (H) 60, San Diego Christian 58
The Masters 64, #16 Westmont (H) 60
#6 Concordia 94, Vanguard (H) 69
Point Loma Nazarene (H) 67, #7 Azusa Pacific 65