TULSA, OKLA.- If a 2-week layoff wasn't bad enough for Azusa Pacific, playing a team it had never heard of until last Wednesday didn't make things any easier. The No. 7 seeded Cougars escaped with a 75-67 win over Edward Waters (Fla.) in the first round of the 62nd Annual NAIA National Men's Basketball Tournament. The win advances the Cougars to its third Sweet 16 appearance in as many years.
"That wasn't our basketball team out there," said Cougar coach Bill Odell, who is 6-5 in the NAIA tournament. "We can't play that way anymore"
Paced by the play of senior All-American T.J. Walker, the Cougars overcame one of their worst performances of the season and kept their title hopes alive with the 8-point win.
With the Cougars holding a 70-66 lead with 1:03 remaining, Jason Boswell attempted a running floater in the lane, but it bounced off the back of the rim. A streaking Walker came down the middle of the lane and out-jumped 3 Tigers and threw down a follow-up dunk that sealed the Cougars' third straight first round win.
"I just saw it come off the rim and I was up there and just banged it in," said Walker, who finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. "Afterwards, I saw their heads down shaking." The dunk gave the Cougars a 72-66 lead, and concluded the game 3 free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.
"We look to T.J. because he does so many things," said Odell. "A follow-up dunk for a 6-foot point guard is what we have come to expect from him."
Even though they played a sub-par first half, the Cougars were able to take a 31-47 lead into the locker, partly due to the play off the bench from Damian Raibon.
The Cougars pushed the lead to 48-39 following a Jerome Joseph jumper. But the Tigers cut the lead to 55-49. A Kevin Daley dunk gave Azusa Pacific a 57-49 lead with 9:15 left and the Cougars seemed to have the game in hand.
But the Tigers cut the lead again, trimming it to 61-60 with 5:34. After a missed shot by Boswell, Tiger guard Artis Maddox turned it over. Boswell then made a layup to push it to 63-60. With a 67-61 lead, Joseph hit a 3-pointer that gave the Cougars a 70-61 lead. The Tigers scored 5 straight to come back to 70-66, but Walker literally slammed the door on the Tigers.
"Winners find a way to win, and that's what we did," said Daley, who tossed in a team-high 17 points. "It wasn't pretty but we won. This was an extra wake-up call for us. If the first round was this tough, it's not going to get any easier. We'll be ready for the next game.
Joseph also tallied 17 points and added 6 rebounds. Junior center Justin Leslie recorded a double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Raibon had 8 points, 3 assists, a steal and a blocked shot in just 15 minutes.
Azusa Pacific, 27-5, joins GSAC rivals Biola, Westmont, Concordia and fellow California school The Masters' in the NAIA Sweet 16. California was a perfect 5-0 in the first round. Meanwhile, Alabama and host state Oklahoma, which both matched California with 5 representatives, posted marks of 1-4 and 2-3, respectively, in the first round.
The Cougars meet upstart Findlay (Ohio) Thursday (March) at 6 p.m. (PST). The Oilers knocked off No. 10-seed Oklahoma Christian, 69-57, to earn its date with Azusa Pacific.
