Biola Downs The Master’s on Second-Half Shooting

Paul Jungkeit has spent a lot of time in The Master’s Bross Gymnasium. In fact, he played on the basketball team there for a couple of years.

He hadn’t been there lately, however. That is, until he returned on Thursday night to help lead Biola to a 79-70 NAIA District III victory over his former school.

“This is a great shooting gym,” said Jungkeit, a 6-5 junior forward who scored 12 points. “I know. I put in a lot of hours in this place.”

Even as a kid, Jungkeit dreamed of going to Biola. But when he graduated from high school in Northern California, Biola wasn’t interested in him.

“We didn’t feel we had the scholarship to give him when he got out,” Biola Coach Dave Holmquist said.

The Master’s, then known as L.A. Baptist College, had a scholarship ready and waiting.

When the school changed it’s name to The Master’s last year, Jungkeit changed addresses.

He says he’s happy he did. No fewer than 30 of his relatives attended Biola (5-0) and Holmquist said, “All the mothers and fathers in his family met at Biola. I think he may have been the only one in that family that didn’t go to Biola.”

He’s there now, and he was one of four Biola players to score in double figures on Thursday night. Teammate Gary Hook scored 19 points, all in the second half, Jeff Martineau had 14 points and Mike Wnek added 10.

Rocky Shipes led The Master’s (0-8) with 23 points, while Phil Hahn scored 20. Pete Coeler also reached double figures with 14.

For a while, surprisingly, it looked as if The Master’s was going to pick up its first win of the season. Biola has dominated The Master’s in the all-time series--31-3.

But The Master’s jumped to a comfortable lead early on and held it through the first half.