By Jacob Norling
February 22, 2025
 
(LA MIRADA, Calif.) A short-handed Westmont Men's Basketball team (13-14, 11-8 PacWest) saw their six-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday night in La Mirada, where the Biola Eagles (21-6, 14-5) defeated the Warriors 74-70. Westmont still hung with Biola for about 30 minutes on Saturday, before a veteran Eagles squad pulled away in the game's final 10 minutes.
 
Saturday's loss stings, like they all do, but in the grand scheme of things the Warriors should still be able to get a decent night's sleep. That is because the club has already clinched a spot in the PacWest Tournament, and when that time comes, the Warriors figure to be closer to full strength as they were during their most recent hot stretch.
 
Westmont led by as many as six points during the first half, but the Warriors knew they'd be in a dogfight with the Eagles for 40 long minutes. The two sides traded the lead a few times during the second half of action, with Westmont hanging within a possession for about the first 30 minutes. At the 11-minute mark, however, an unstoppable Casey Cappo put the Eagles up 50-45 with his eighth make in nine tries, giving the Eagles a two-possession lead for the first time on Saturday.
 
Two minutes later, a three-ball from the Eagles made it a double-digit lead at 58-48. A couple big shots from Drew Ramirez in particular pulled Westmont back within three at the seven-minute mark, but Westmont went cold for the next two minutes afterwards. The Warriors' cold spell allowed a Casey Cappo three-pointer to put the Eagles back up nine with under five minutes to play (66-57). A little over a minute later, Cappo hit another back-breaking three to make it 70-59 with under four minutes to play.
 
From that point on, the Warriors only got back within less than six in the game's final seconds, making it a 74-70 final in La Mirada.
 
Individually, Drew Ramirez had 23 points thanks to four makes from beyond the arc and a perfect seven shots from the charity stripe. Jarrett Bryant finished the night with 16 points on five of seven shooting, to go along with three rebounds and three assists. De'Undrae Perteete finished with 15 to go along with five rebounds and a trio of dimes.
 
Westmont will have a week to prepare for their final regular season game, which will take place on March 1 in San Diego against Point Loma. After that, the Warriors will turn their attention to their first-ever appearance in the PacWest Tournament, where the Warriors will play in the Conference Quarterfinals on March 6 in San Rafael.