COLLEGE ROUNDUP : SCC Loses to Biola Again in NAIA District 3 Playoffs

The Southern California College men’s basketball team made its sixth consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the NAIA District 3 playoffs Saturday night.

Unfortunately for the Vanguards, it was too much like their fifth, as Biola overpowered them to win, 85-72, in front of 2,500 at Whittier College.

It was the 23rd consecutive victory for Biola (30-3), which is ranked No. 4 in the NAIA Division I, and moved the Eagles into the title game Tuesday at Whittier College. Biola will play Westmont, a 95-87 winner over The Master’s in double overtime. The winner receives the district’s automatic berth to the NAIA national tournament starting March 17 in Kansas City.

It was the second consecutive season the Vanguards (22-10) lost in the semifinals to Biola. They had beaten Biola, 81-73, at Biola in their first game of the season but not duplicate the feat this time.

Biola used its size advantage to pound the Vanguards on the boards, outrebounding SCC, 51-33.

Emilio Kovacic, the 6-foot-10 District 3 player of the year, had 25 points and 15 rebounds despite playing only 29 minutes because of minor foul trouble.

Rodney Camper, a 6-5 forward, had 22 points and eight rebounds. Even Mike Coffin, a 6-5 forward who plays like a guard, pulled down 15 rebounds to go with his four points.

SCC stayed close behind the outside shooting of Rick Witmer, who scored a game high 27 points, and Mike Henjum, who scored 20. Keith Randolph added 15 points.

Witmer’s short jump shot pulled the Vanguards within four points with 15 minutes 36 seconds remaining in the game. But Biola went on a 9-2 run to take a 53-42 lead with 13:50 left.

SCC couldn’t get closer than six points the rest of the way.

In nonconference baseball:

Cal State Fullerton 11, Southern Utah 2--Making his first start of the season, Titan freshman Derek Fahs pitched a three-hitter over six innings, striking out seven at Amerige Park.

Fahs, a right-hander from Fountain Valley High, had pitched in just three innings before Saturday. Fullerton (13-4) had just six hits but took advantage of 15 walks from four Thunderbird pitchers.

In nonconference men’s tennis:

UCLA 7, UC Irvine 2--Charles Wheeler and Neel Grover won singles matches as the 21st-ranked Anteaters (5-4) lost to the top-ranked Bruins at UCI.

In Big West Conference women’s basketball:

UC Santa Barbara 78, Cal State Fullerton 60--Joey Ray scored 24 of her 28 points in the second half, tied her own school record with six three-points and had six steals as the visiting Titans lost to the conference-champion Gauchos.

Eighth-place Fullerton (11-16, 6-12) will face Santa Barbara (23-4, 16-2) in a first-round game in the Big West Conference Tournament 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Long Beach Arena.

In the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn.

Hawaii 3, UC Irvine 0--Leland Quinn had a match-high 13 kills in a losing effort for the 16th-ranked Anteaters (4-9, 2-9) at No. 9 Hawaii (9-7, 5-3).

In Big West Conference softball:

Cal State Fullerton 12-4, UC Santa Barbara 2-6--Denise De Walt and Rose Garces each scored three times for the host Titans in the opener. Fullerton’s Heidi Robertson went three for four and scored twice in the second game.

In Golden State Athletic Conference baseball:

Christ College Irvine 6-12, Pt. Loma Nazarene 5 (Second Game 8 innings, called on account of darkness)--Robert Campillo struck out Jack Campbell with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to save Mike Adams’ victory in the opener at Pt. Loma Nazarene.

Christ College Irvine (11-5, 2-1) scored eight unearned runs in the second game, as Pt. Loma Nazarene (7-7-1, 0-2) made seven errors.

Southern California College 3-0, Azusa Pacific 1-3--Matt Dahlgren hit a solo homer in the first and David Black (2-2) pitched a complete game, scattering seven hits with six strikeouts and one walk, in the first game of the doubleheader.