HONOLULU, HAWAII. -- The NAIA's No. 7-ranked Azusa Pacific ran its winning streak to 4 straight with an easy 109-86 victory over previously undefeated Carthage College of Kenosha, Wis., in the first day of the Hawaii Pacific Tournament.
Junior forward Kevin Daily led the Cougar attack with a game-high 22 points on 11-for-19 shooting. Senior reserve center Matt Reed added a career-high 16 points, which included a 6-for-7 clip at the line. Junior guard Jerome Joseph added 16 points as well, and All-American point guard T.J. Walker chipped in 15 points and a game-high 9 rebounds (Daily also had 9 rebounds).
The win is Azusa Pacific's first victory on Hawaiian soil since 1981 when the Cougars topped BYU-Hawaii.
The Cougars led 54-45 at the half thanks to Walker's 11 first-half points. Daily then paced a second-half Cougar explosion by canning 7-of-10 shots in the final 20 minutes of play. Reed put together a 5-for-5 clip in the second half to aid Daily's attack. The Cougars shot a blistering 71% (22-for-31) in the second half to assure the win.
With the win, the Cougars improve to 8-2 on the season and meet tourney host Hawaii Pacific on Tuesday. The Sea Warriors were a 69-68 victim to Fresno Pacific in the first round of the tourney. Carthage, an NCAA Division III school, suffers its first loss of the season.
