The Cougars held a 63-62 lead with 3 minutes left when senior Micah Sullivan nailed a 17-foot turnaround jumper to send the Cougars on their game-clinching run. Sullivan then got the rebound of a Pioneer miss on a long 3-point attempt. The Cougars then converted free throws and forced 2 crucial turnovers down the stretch to seal the game.

"I had confidence to shoot the ball the entire game, even though I struggled a bit," said Sullivan, who finished with a team-high 13 points along with T.J. Walker. "I knew that I could hit the shot when we needed it."

Walker collected 7 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the Cougars to their 16th straight win, which ties the longest streak in school history. Azusa Pacific's outside shooters Corey Smith and Jeremy DeVries finished with 9 and 7 points, respectively. The Cougars' inside game was paced by Nate Getz and Bryan Lucas combining for 13 points and 6 rebounds.

Leading the way for Transylvania were Andrei Kholodov with 18 points and NAIA All-American Vince Bingham with 17.

In Wednesday's 104-44 first round win over Huston-Tillotson, the Cougars shot 59% from the floor. However, against Transylvania the Cougars had to rely on defense to overcome a less than impressive 22-for-60 (37%) clip. The Cougars held the Pioneers to a 38.6% (22-for-57) and only 7-for-28 from beyond the 3-point line. Additionally, the Cougars held Bingham to just 2 second half points and 1-of-5 shooting. Although both teams made the same amount of field goals, Azusa Pacific sank 9 more free throws than the Pioneers.

"We knew that the hot shooting wouldn't continue," said Cougar head Coach Bill Odell. "They were a physical team and one who doesn't play at the same tempo that we do. We had to do some different things to counter their style of play."

Azusa Pacific led 38-33 at the half, with Walker leading the Cougars with 9 points and 4 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Unlike the day before when the Cougars shot 79% in the first half against Huston-Tillotson, they made just 13 of their first 32 (41%) shots. DeVries added 7 first-half points, but was just 2-for-7 from the floor, which included a 2-for-6 clip from the 3-point arc.

The Cougars, now 33-4, have won 16 straight, currently the third longest active winning streak in all of college men's basketball. The win also puts them in the NAIA quarterfinals for the first time ever. Azusa Pacific will take on the winner of Oklahoma City/Incarnate Word (Tex.) Friday afternoon at 12 p.m. (PST).