AZUSA, CALIF. -- Azusa Pacific, ranked No. 7 in the NAIA, showed no sign of rust in a 108-66 rout of Occidental, Friday night in Azusa. The Cougars, playing only their 2nd game in 2 weeks, had a fine all-around game in the win over the Tigers.
"It was a good effort for the most part," said Cougar head coach Bill Odell. "Everyone got to contribute."
Trailing 8-6 early in the first half, the Cougars went on a 27-6 run to give them a 33-14 cushion, and put the game away only 13 minutes into the game.
UCLA transfer Kevin Daley (Panama City, Panama/Artesia HS), making his first appearance in almost 4 weeks, scored 7 points in the run.
"I'm just happy to be back," said Daley. "I wanted to be back, and I'm not rusty at all."
The Cougars opened the second half with a 21-10 run, thanks to a pair of dunks from senior all-American guard T.J. Walker (Modesto, Calif./Modesto HS), including one in which he out-jumped the 6-6 Tiger center on an inbound pass and took it down the court by himself.
"It was hard to get started tonight because of the layoff," said Walker. "Now we have to get ready to play in the Aloha state."
Junior guard Jerome Joseph (Van Nuys, Calif./Chatsworth HS) also added 7 points during the run.
Senior guard Jason Boswell (Turlock, Calif./Turlock HS), who had been in a mini-slump, bounced back with a fine all-around performance, scoring 9 points and dishing out 4 assists.
"I just played again for fun," said Boswell. "I had been in a slump, but we keep going no matter what I do. As long as we win, that's all that matters."
Joseph led the Cougars with 22 points, his 4th game this year of 20 or more points, and grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds. Walker added 10 points and 7 assists. Daley added 15 points and 6 rebounds, while junior center Justin Leslie (Nuevo, Calif./Perris HS) and freshman guard Ryan Smith (San Dimas, Calif./San Dimas HS) each tossed in 11 points apiece.
The Cougars shot 40-for-70 (57%) and forced the Tigers into 23-for-70 shooting (32%), the second straight game Azusa Pacific has kept an opponent under 32%. The Cougars also tallied a school-record 10 blocked shots, 4 coming from Damian Raibon (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./St. Margaret's HS) and 3 for Leslie.
Azusa Pacific, 7-2, will travel to the Island of Oahu for the Hawaii Pacific Tournament. They will face Carthage College (Wisc.) on Monday at 6 p.m.
