SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Senior guard Jeff Butler drained 2 free throws with 1:32 left to play to put Azusa Pacific up 69-68, and the Cougars held on to beat Taylor University (Ind.), 73-71, to win the Point Loma Tournament for the third time in 6 years.

After the Cougars shot a paltry 39% from the floor in the first half and trailed by as much as 13 points, Cougar standouts Ric Reed and Dennis Vanzant caught fire in the second half and led Azusa Pacific back from a 35-28 halftime deficit, leading a Cougar squad that nailed 61% of its shots in the second half.  Reed paced the Cougars, scoring a game-high 30 points on 13-for-20 shooting.  Vanzant followed with a hefty 23 points as the Reed-Vanzant duo accounted for all but 20 of the Cougars' points in tonight's game. 

For his 3-game play, which included a tourney-record 99 points, Reed was named tournament MVP as Azusa Pacific captured its third tournament championship in less than 2 months of play this season (APC won the Redlands and Stanislaus State tourneys as well).  Reed has eclipsed the 30-point plateau in 4 straight games.  Vanzant, who tallied 82 point in 3 games at Point Loma, joined Reed on the all-tournament team.

Azusa Pacific's 5 starters were the only Cougars to score in the game.  Senior center Roger Cahoon added 8 points and a team-high 8 rebounds, while junior forward Mike Leatherby chipped in with 7 points and 6 rebounds.  Butler, a senior point guard, finished with 5 points, and none were bigger than the 2 off free throws that gave Azusa Pacific the lead for good with 92 seconds left to play. 

"I don't think we've had a lopsided approach to any game," said Cougar Coach Cliff Hamlow.  "Reed and Vanzant have been getting open, both inside and outside, and they've been hitting."

And the numbers support the coach's assessment.  Reed converted 54% of his shots during the Point Loma Tournament, and Vanzant wasn't far behind at 53%.

"The two have been open numerous times and the other three players on the floor have been able to get the ball to them," added Hamlow.

Similarly, Taylor was led by a powerful duo with Gary Friesen registering 26 points followed by Sparky Renaker's 23.  Both Friesen and Renaker were named to the all-tournament team.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 11-2 on the season and pushes its winning streak to 7 straight.  Additionally, the Cougars are now 15-3 in the past 6 Point Loma Tournaments, and this year's championship assuages, to some degree, the controversial setback in last year's title game when tourney host Pasadena (now Point Loma) scored on a disputed basket to beat APC, 57-56.