RIVERSIDE, CALIF. – All-GSAC guard Jerome Joseph scored 22 of his career-high 31 points in the first half and senior forward Kevin Daley ignited an 18-1 Cougar run to lead the NAIA's No. 7-ranked Azusa Pacific to a convincing 111-80 victory over Cal Baptist.
If it was Tuesday, Azusa Pacific must have been hot from the floor. For the third straight Tuesday, the Cougars opened the game shooting the lights out, burying 16 of their first 23 (.670) shots to roll out to a 41-23 lead.
fter the Cougars staked a 10-2 lead to open the game, Cal Baptist rallied to within 14-13 less than 6 minutes into the game. At that point the Cougars took off with an 18-1 run that spanned a mere 2-minute stretch of the game. The defining moment came when Daley scored 5 successive points in 1 Cougar trip down court. Daley started the sequence with 2 free throws off an intentional foul called on a breakaway. He ended it with a thunderous dunk down the key on which he was fouled, converting into a 3-point play. The single trip gave the Cougars a 25-14 lead and seemingly sucked the life out of the Lancers, who never got any closer than 11 points the rest of the half. Azusa Pacific led 59-38 at the half after shooting 66% (23-for-35) in the first half. Joseph paved the way by making 7 of his first 9 shots, including 5 treys, and by halftime had already recorded his ninth straight 20-point game.
"They play so well together," said Cal Baptist head coach Scott Mossman. "They showed me that they are the best team in the GSAC. They are a great team. They kicked our dog every way possible. They forced us to play bad and showed us where we need to get."
Azusa Pacific, which won its 11th consecutive game at Cal Baptist's Van Dyne Gym, sprinted away in the second half, leading by as much as 35 points before settling for the 31-point victory.
In contrast to last Saturday's victory at Concordia when Daley and Joseph combined to scored 60 of the Cougars' 80 points, Azusa Pacific was much more balanced in its attack tonight. Six different Cougars scored in double-figures, including all 5 starters. Daley finished with 16 points and 5 rebounds. Senior forward Damian Raibon put together perhaps his most complete game as a Cougar, finishing with 15 points, 8 rebounds, a career-high 7 assists and 4 steals. Junior guard Isamu Nichols led a Cougar bench that made 11-of-15 shots by scoring 12 of his own points on 6-for-8 shooting.
Meanwhile, the Cougar defense forced 26 Lancer turnovers, including 18 in the first half. Gary Gillman led Cal Baptist with 25 points before fouling out with 7:08 left in the game.
Azusa Pacific has now won 6 straight and improves to 17-3 on the season, 7-1 in the GSAC. Cal Baptist, which suffers its worst defeat of the season, falls to 13-9 overall, 4-4 in the GSAC.
