COSTA MESA, CALIF. -- Azusa Pacific, ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, scored 17 of the game's first 18 points and led by as much as 23 in the second half, but needed a 3-point play by senior guard T.J. Walker with 3:26 left to nail down a 75-62 victory over Southern California College in both team's Golden State Athletic Conference opener Tuesday night in Costa Mesa.

Walker scored 6 points in the Cougars' opening run and then tallied 5 in the final 4 minutes to pace the Cougars with a game-high 19 points. But it almost wasn't enough.

Azusa Pacific led 45-24 at the half after holding SCC to just 7-for-35 (20%) shooting from the floor. And when junior Jason Boswell tipped in a miss shot to open the second half, the Cougars appeared to be headed toward a rout with a 23-point cushion.

"Defensively, we played well in the first half," said Cougar coach Bill Odell. "We denied their shooters the ball and got in their faces. SCC is too good to give open shots. Momentum is a big thing, especially in this gym. We missed free throws and lay-ups in the second half, and they gained more and more confidence."

SCC caught fire from the perimeter in the final 20 minutes, nailing 5 of their first 8 treys to rally back to a 64-60 deficit with just 4 minutes to play. However, the Vanguards' long-distance shooting failed them in the waning moments, missing their final 5 attempts. None was bigger than Adam Dzierezynski's miss that Walker took coast-to-coast, capping it with a lay-up and a foul by SCC guard Dennis Keane. After Walker converted the free throw, Azusa Pacific had completed a 6-point swing that gave the Cougars a 67-60 lead.

"As I came down court, I knew I had to execute the 3-point play," said Walker, who spurred an Azusa Pacific 11-2 run to close the game. "We were missing too may lay-ups, and I knew I had to make this one. Anytime you have a 23-point lead cut to 4, you get worried. But we knew we could pull it out. We played poor in some sections, but when it came down to it, we stepped up."

Boswell added 10 points for the Cougars. Dzierzynski led SCC with 18. Senior forward Rod Scheuerman chipped in 14 for the Vanguards.

"In the first half, Azusa Pacific played like a Top-4 team," said SCC coach Bill Reynolds. "Against a team like APU you can't get down as much as we did and expect to come back. But our guys showed character. Eventually, the difference was Azusa Pacific's depth and athleticism."

For the ninth straight year, Azusa Pacific wins its GSAC opener and with the win improves to 16-3 overall and 1-0 in the GSAC. Since 1993, the Cougars are 58-9 in GSAC play. SCC falls to 10-8 overall, 0-1 in the GSAC.