LA MIRADA, Calif. -- The new calendar year was spoiled for Vanguard men's hoops on Saturday night as the second overtime frame did not go VU's way.  After outscoring Biola by eight points in the second half to draw level, the two sides registered eight combined points in the first overtime to require a second.  However, the Eagles tripled their output in the next frame and stymied the Lions to three total points for an 85-76 victory, as the home side improved to 6-5 overall and 2-3 in the Pacific West Conference.  VU dropped to 6-4, 2-2.
 
Erik Howlin did not disappoint in his return to the Chase Gym, as the grad student banked five season highs against his old school.  Howlin scored 25 points to lead VU on 9-for-16 shooting, netted eight rebounds to tie the team-high, and played 44 minutes.  Only Biola's Cameron Brown edged out Howlin, as the BU man scored 31 points during 46 minutes of action.  Brown made 10 of his 11 free throws, helping the Eagles to a 21-11 edge in shots made from the charity stripe on the night.
 
What Happened?  Perhaps a sign of the long night ahead, Brown scored the first basket of the night after two minutes had passed, as the teams combined to miss their first seven shots.  Aibigho Ujadughele got VU on the scoreboard with two free throws, but Biola was up 12-4 with 15 minutes left in the first.  Back-to-back treys by Howlin and Dylan Swillis narrowed the deficit, and that became the theme for the rest of the half.  The tenacious Lions made plays at both ends to deny Biola an advantage of over 10 points, but Vanguard never led the in stanza and entered halftime down 37-29.  BU outscored the Lions 9-4 over the final six minutes and checked the Blue and Gold to a 34.48% shooting rate from the floor in the first 20 minutes.  VU held Biola to a 38.89 clip and used two extra made threes to stay in touch with the Eagles.
 
A flurry by the home team during the first 90 seconds of the second half had BU ahead 44-33, but Vanguard trimmed and clipped that lead over the next five minutes.  Bryson Metz splashed down a three and made a contested layup to bring the gap down to four (44-40), and free throws by Swillis brought it down to 44-42.  BU scored on their next few possessions, but Howlin tallied five points in a row to level the contest at 54-54 with 11:28 left. 
 
A steal and dunk by Tony Colley propelled VU to its first lead of the night soon thereafter, and his triple with 8:20 put the Lions up 61-56 with 8:20 to go.  Five points proved to be the largest lead for VU on the night, as the Eagles negated tjhe VU edge with eight unanswered points.  Yet the Lions did not slink away, as Metz rose up for two conversions from downtown at 1:55 and 1:05 to reclaim the lead at 69-67.  Despite the surge, a foul with four seconds left put the Eagles at the charity stripe, and Charlie Gehler made both shots to square the match at 69-69.
 
The first overtime had all the action at the beginning and the end, as a full two minutes went by without a bucket.  Howlin accounted for all the Vanguard scoring, as he banked in a field goal and two free throws with 27 ticks left to tie the engagement at 73-73.  Gehler made two free throws, and Brown had a layup for BU in the period. 
 
Howlin made a layup in the second period of OT and got fouled in the process, putting in the and-one for a 76-76 tie.  Unfortunately, that represented the final make for the Blue and Gold on the night, as Biola scored the final nine points.  VU was 1-for-10 from the field in the second overtime.
 
The Lions shot 36.4% from the floor on the night, went 9-for-34 from deep (26.5%), and 11-for-19 from the free-throw line (57.9%).  BU shot 41.1% despite a 4-of-18 night from deep (22.2%), though making up for it with a 21-for-24 line from the charity stripe (87.5%).  Most of the other totals were close, but Biola had a 46-38 edge in points in the paint and a 21-9 lead in fast-break points. 
 
Metz had 13 points and seven rebounds, with Swillis gathering 13 points and eight boards, with Colley earning 12 points.
 
Why is it Important?  It is the seventh straight win by the Eagles over VU and moves the Blue and Gold into a tie for fifth in the standings. 
 
What was Said?  "We were in a position to close out the game in regulation," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday.  "But we couldn't get the last stop that we needed.  Credit to Biola for making some key plays down the stretch, and in the overtime periods when they needed them.  It's unfortunate to not get one done on the road against such a good team, but in the PacWest, every game is going to be like this.  We can't get too high or too low.  We just have to keep showing up and competing at every opportunity." 

What's Next?  The Lions return home Tuesday for a 7:30 p.m. meeting with Westmont.