"The first five minutes of the second half was a lot like our first half," said Cougar head coach Bill Odell. "Then the score scared us a bit, and we seemed to get a little more motivated."

The Golden Eagles took a 53-52 lead with 12:52 remaining, when Odell inserted seldom-used freshman Gary Dredge (Clondalkin, Ireland/Palmerstown HS). Seeing his first significant action, Dredge came in and ignited a stagnant Cougar offense, scoring 7 points and pulling down 3 rebounds in only 5 minutes of play.

"I've got a lot to prove here and I just want to provide a spark off the bench," said Dredge. "I have been working hard to play."

The Cougars were in control for the majority of the first half, riding the shooting of sophomore Corey Smith (San Dimas, Calif./San Dimas HS) and UCLA transfer Kevin Daley (Panama City, Panama/Artesia HS), who each tallied 10 points in the first frame.

"Hearing those fans cheering is enough to get me ready," said Smith. "The tempo changed and things started flying our way."

In the second half, the Cougars had a 48-39 lead, but the Golden Eagles went on a 14-4 run to take a 1-point lead with 11 minutes remaining. It was then that Dredge and junior Damian Raibon (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./St. Margaret's HS) took over. Raibon pulled down 7 rebounds in the second half to help the Cougars pull away.

The Cougars hit 8 straight free throws down the stretch to make it a 88-72 final.

Azusa Pacific had 5 players in double figure scoring. Smith led the Cougars with 16 points, Daley and junior guard Jerome Joseph (Van Nuys,Calif./Chatsworth HS) each tallied 14 points and senior all-American guard T.J.Walker (Modesto, Calif./Modesto HS) scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with 5 assists. Raibon finished with 10 points and pulled down 8 rebounds. Daley added 7 rebounds and 5 assists and junior center Justin Leslie grabbed 8 boards.

The Cougars, 3-1, return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 24, when they travel to Santa Clarita for a non-conference match-up with The Master's College.