Chapman Tournament : SCC Outmans Depleted Biola to Win Title

Phil Hill scored 19 points and Kyle Lundy added 15 to lead Southern California College to a 75-66 victory over Biola in the championship game of the Chapman Doubletree tournament Saturday at Chapman College.

Hill, a 6-foot 1-inch forward, scored 11 of his points in the second half as SCC (3-0) withstood a late threat by a depleted Biola team, which suited up only six players for the game.

“Phil Hill created a lot of havoc for them all night,” said SCC Coach Bill Reynolds. “It became a battle of survival out there. They seemed to have that extra surge of energy at one point in the second half, but we didn’t break when they came back.”

SCC, which led, 33-22, at halftime, extended its lead to 45-26 with 3 minutes gone in the second period. Eric Nielsen, who finished the game with 17 points, scored 10 of them in a 5-minute span in which the Eagles outscored the Vanguards, 17-2, to pull to within 47-43 with 12 minutes left.

After Biola trimmed the deficit to 52-49 with 9 minutes remaining, Hill hit two jumpers to extend the Vanguard margin to 56-49. The Eagles would trail twice more by 3 points--61-58 with 5 minutes left and 63-60 with 4:45 remaining--before Hill scored on a drive and a free throw. Todd Dixon added a layup and the Vanguards led, 68-60, with 3 minutes remaining.

The Eagles wouldn’t get closer than 7 points the rest of the way.

“We’re having to play a different style out there because of our lack of manpower,” Biola Coach Dave Holmquist said. “We did well for a stretch, but we were forced to try to slow the game down and try to shorten the game for us so we could have a chance.

“But they got a big lead and we had to play aggressively. . . . We just couldn’t keep it up because of our lack of manpower.”

Holmquist said he will add six transfer students from other schools to his roster on Dec. 17.

SCC’s Todd Dixon, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, made 6 of his 9 field goal attempts en route to 14 points. Paul Horn, Biola’s 6-7 center, led his team with 18 points.