Biola falls in West Regionals to wrap historic season

Biola head coach Dave Holmquist watches Michael Bagatourian (0) shoot over a Colorado Mines defender during their game in the NCAA DII West Region tournament in Denver. (Courtesy Photo)

GOLDEN, COLORADO – To say it’s been a long season is an understatement for the Biola men’s basketball team.

The Eagles actually played only 14 games, but the journey to their first NCAA Division II West Regional playoffs in program history began back in the fall and ended last Saturday night in Golden, Colorado at Lockridge Arena, in the middle of the fourth largest snowstorm in Colorado history.

No. 2 seed and host Colorado College of Mines defeated No. 3 seed Biola, 83-52, to conclude a season of many firsts – qualifying for the DII playoffs, winning a DII playoff game, and getting coach Dave Holmquist his 1,000th career win.

The Eagles were an automatic qualifier out of the PacWest Conference and advanced to the West Region, along with Fresno Pacific University and Pt. Loma.

Biola, which finished 10-4 overall, advanced one step further than Pt. Loma and Fresno Pacific, as they both lost in the first round.

“It was a great year for us,” Holmquist said. “All of the close games that we were in, we won. We were in the strongest pod in the conference and the top-four rated teams in the preseason poll were in the conference. For us to win the pod was an achievement.

“It was a real nice team to work with. With the way things worked out, despite the way that everything happened with Covid, it was a real enjoyable year.”

On the first NCAA DII win for Biola, Holmquist said at the time, “It’s just a nice feeling. Right now there’s the thrill of it, but we have a game the next day. I feel relieved and just excited that we get to play another day.”

Biola, with that milestone win over Fresno Pacific (76-74) in the first round, followed the next day with a loss to Colorado College of Mines in the semifinals.

And perhaps the biggest accomplishment, individually, was the 1,000th victory for Holmquist in the last regular season game.

He joins an exclusive group of only four other coaches in men’s college basketball history with 1,000 or more wins. Atop the list is Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Although Holmquist wasn’t able to celebrate the achievement with family and fans, he did enjoy being able to have his team around him.

Biola's Alex Wright (10) drives past a Fresno defender during the first game of the NCAA DII West Region tournament in Denver. (Courtesy Photo)

“It was a really nice group to do it with,” said Holmquist, who currently has 1,002 wins. “And because of Covid, it made it more than just a team thing. It was just nice to share it with this team.”

In the opening first-round win over Fresno Pacific, it all came down to the last inbounds play by the Sunbirds. After Biola senior guard Chris Rossow gave the Eagles a 76-74 lead with a free throw, FPU tried in desperation to throw the ball in with just one second remaining, but the ball was tipped out of bounds by two Biola players.

“We’re just fortunate to get the win,” said Holmquist, of the win. “It could have gone either way. We’re happy to be playing another day.”

Fresno Pacific took an early 8-0 lead with a fast-paced start. However, Biola crawled back into the game with a 19-9 run to take its first lead of the game, 19-17.

The Eagles never trailed the rest of the first half as senior forward Jesse Elrod and junior guard Whitten Dominguez both connected with two 3-pointers each.

Freshman forward Max Milovich led Biola with nine points on 4-7 from the field in the half.

Biola took a nine-point lead, 61-52, halfway through the second half when Wright scored eight consecutive points on two free throws, a short jumper and two driving layups.

“He’s been consistently good all season,” said Holmquist, who started his coaching career at Fresno Pacific. “Even on that run where he got those points, there were some real nice passes. He’s a great teammate and a great player for us.”

Biola, in its second year of DII postseason eligibility, had five players in double figures and was led by Wright with 20 points (9 for 17) and 12 rebounds.

“I think where to start is the end of the game,” Wright said. “We won.

“It was an ugly game all the way through, but at the end of the day, we got what we needed.”

Elrod and Rossow each had 13 points and Milovich grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 11 points.

In the final game of the season for the Eagles, they ran into a team that started fast and never let up for the 31-point win in the semifinals.

Mines would go on to eventually win the West Region and advanced to the Elite Eight of the DII Championships which will take place next week in Evansville, Indiana.

“They are a very good team,” Holmquist said. “We played hard and they are just a better team. They got away from us. They are one of the best teams in the country. We aspire to get to that level.”

The Orediggers held Biola to its lowest scoring output of the season. The Eagles had been averaging 77.3 points per game and ran into the toughest team to date in this abbreviated season.

“They’re one of the best teams I’ve played since I’ve been in college,” senior guard/forward Michael Bagatourian said. “They’re really good, really solid. They don’t make any mistakes on offense or defense.

“We had to play an A-plus game and we didn’t and it showed. That’s what we have to get better at. We have to make sure every game we play is up to that standard. The standard now is to win Regional titles.”

Biola's Michael Bagatourian (0) shoots over a Colorado Mines defender during their game in the NCAA DII West Region tournament in Denver. (Courtesy Photo)

Bagatourian led the way with 16 points while Rossow and freshman center Milovich had 11 and 10 points, respectively.

By the halfway mark of the first half, the Orediggers had built up a 10-point, 20-10, lead and Biola could never recover.

The Mines defense suffocated the Eagles throughout the game, and held Wright from getting on the scoreboard.

By the half, the Orediggers held a 19-point advantage, 45-26. The Eagles equaled their output from the first half of 26 points in the second half, but the Orediggers continued their hot shooting through the remainder of the game.

Biola Senior Director of Athletics Bethany Miller said of the past season – “This has been a year of students and staff that all of us have a heart of gratitude for the opportunities that we’re afforded. Of course there have been a lot of extra challenges and learning to be adaptable. And to take each day as it comes.

“Even last night Michael Bagatourian just said ‘thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to play and compete.’ We’re excited for next year.”

What they said

Coach Dave Holmquist: “It was a real nice team to work with. They were enjoyable to coach, despite all of the things that we went through.”

Alex Wright, jr. guard: “I think we continually exceeded everyone’s expectations. The culture we have from my freshman year to now has changed tremendously.

On the two firsts for the season for Biola on Holmquist and the NCAA appearance: “Every year we have improved and we want to build a powerhouse here at Biola.

“It was a great feeling to be the first team in Biola history to get to the (NCAA) regional. That was awesome. For coach it was great to be part of it (1,000 wins).”

Michael Bagatourian, sr. guard/forward: “I’m just so proud of everyone on this team. There’s so much that we had to go through with this Covid stuff.

“We fought every single day during the season. I think we exceeded a lot of people’s expectations. We got here (Regionals), but we have a lot of work to do.

“Everyone is coming back and that’s what we’re already talking about.

Bagatourian on helping Holmquist achieve 1,000 wins: “Now that the season is over, maybe it will hit everyone a little bit more. Wow, a thousand wins. I saw a stat that all of the other coaches in the Region don’t even add up to a thousand wins.

“He is literally a walking legend. It’s a pleasure to play for him and he’s coming back next year.”