AZUSA, CALIF. -- – Kevin Daley and Gary Dredge combined to score 13 points of a 17-6 run to start overtime to lead the NAIA's No. 9-ranked Azusa Pacific to a 114-106 overtime victory over No. 24-ranked Westmont Tuesday night.

Gary did a great job, he played with intensity and confidence," said Cougar head coach Bill Odell. "He played the way I expect him to all the time."

Both teams had opportunities to win at the end of regulation, but neither team could manage a shot in the final 42 seconds, and the GSAC rivals remained deadlocked at 89-89 for the final 1:25 of regulation. However, Azusa Pacific pulled away in the overtime period, taking a 106-95 lead on a pair of Isamu Nichols free throws with 1:23 to play.

Billy Gulley hit a 3-pointer 19 seconds later, but Nichols answered with 2 more free throws, giving the Cougars a 108-98 lead with 50 seconds left in the game. The Cougars made 15-of-16 free throws in OT.

The 2 teams broke from the locker room with their shooting shoes on, combining to make 37 of 56 shots (.661) in the first half. In fact, Azusa Pacific made 12 of its first 13 shots to take a 30-22 lead with 9:48 left when Daley buried jumper. However, Westmont made 8 of its last 12shots, which included a trio of 3-pointers and one by Corey Blick with 7 second left in the half to pull the Warriors to within 4 at 52-48 at intermission. Jerome Joseph led the Cougars charge in the first with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting (he made his first 7 shots of the game). Meanwhile Blick led Westmont with 20 first-half points as well on 7-of-9 shooting.

While the first half featured a pair of 20-point performances from Blick and Joseph, the second half was a battle between Daley and Chris Gonzales, who each posted career highs. Daley scored 21 of his team-high 35 points after halftime, and Gonzales scored 24 of his game-high 38 points after the first half ended.

Neither team led by more than 5 points over the final 16:45 of regulation, a margin held last by the Cougars with 3:26 to play in the second half. Daley sparked the 6-point spurt that gave the Cougars the 88-83 lead with a thunderous dunk set up by a Jeff Staniland steal that brought the Cougardome crowd to its feet.

"It's good to come through and do it in front of the crowd," said Daley. "I know a lot of people come to see me dunk, and it's good to get the dunk at such a crucial time in the game."

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 13-3 overall and 3-1 in GSAC play, while Westmont's conference record drops to 2-2 and 10-4 overall.

story by Joe Reinsch