Biola Foils Cal Lutheran Bid for Upset

Biola forward Ellis Yarrell made two free throws with 15 seconds left Saturday night to lift Biola past Cal Lutheran, 71-69, at CLU Gym.

With a noisy Cal Lutheran crowd screaming and pounding the stands, Yarrell stepped to the line and drilled both shots.

“I was just trying to keep everything out of my mind,” Yarrell said. “I eased them up and I knew they were in.”

Yarrell, a 6-3 junior who finished with 19 points, combined with Johnny Griffin for 40 points to help the Eagles to their 22nd win in 23 games this season. But Biola, ranked fifth in the NAIA, struggled against a sometimes brilliant, sometimes sloppy CLU team (10-15).

“We knew they’d be tough,” Griffin said. “Luckily we played well in the second half, because in the first half, we played right into their hands.”

Which was to say, Biola played poorly. Both teams had trouble getting out of the gate. At times, it was bad basketball at its sloppiest. Midway through the first half, the teams had combined for 21 points, and together they committed 18 turnovers by intermission.

After leading, 39-33, at the half, Cal Lutheran, despite Steve deLaveaga’s 22 points, watched its lead slowly disappear. Biola closed within one, 46-45, with 14:37 left.

But the Kingsmen fought back to go ahead by five, 50-45, when 6-7 forward Michael Demeter hit two baseline shots.

Biola’s biggest advantage came at the 4:32 mark when, with the score tied, 60-60, guard Jeff Martineau made a three-pointer and was fouled by CLU’s Michael Fulton. Martineau’s free throw made it 64-60.

CLU took its last lead, 68-67, when James Faulk scored from underneath with just over a minute left.

Griffin scored easily, though, 15 seconds later for the Eagles. With 29 seconds left, DeLaveaga’s first free throw on the front of a one-and-one tied the score, 69-69. He missed the second shot and CLU appeared to have the rebound, but the ball popped loose, bouncing off legs and arms of five different players. Biola ended up with the ball and Yarrell was subsequently fouled by Jeff Logsdon.

“That loose ball was the game,” Demeter said.

BIOLA--Griffin 21, Jungkeit 8, Hook 0, Martineau 13, Wnek 10, Yarrell 19.

CAL LUTHERAN--Jacques 5, Demeter 14, Faulk 10, Logsdon 7, DeLaveaga 22, Ranck 11.