AZUSA, CALIF. -- Led by All-Americans Jerome Joseph and Kevin Daley, the NAIA's No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific outscored No. 19-ranked Point Loma 52-30 in the second half en route to an 86-69 victory, moving into a first-place tie with Biola, who defeated the Cougars on the same floor just 48 hours earlier.

"I thought down the stretch we were in a little bit better shape and I was pleased that even though we are not as deep, I felt like our conditioning really helped us tonight," said Cougar head coach Bill Odell. "We just have to remember that it is not a sprint, it is a long race here in the GSAC with so many games, and you have to be ready to play every night."

Daley led all scorers with 28 points, while Joseph added 22 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

"I tried to come out tonight and show a little more effort and energy, and I was in the right place at the right time," said Joseph. "We had to win in order to keep our chances alive for the GSAC championship."

Daley's 10 rebounds gave him his eighth double-double of the season, as the Cougars improved to 12-1 at home on the season.

"It feels good to come back and win at home, you definitely don't want to lose back-to-back games if you want to win the league," said Daley. "Now that Biola lost and we are tied for first again, we feel like we control our own destiny."

The Crusaders held a 49-44 lead with 13:05 to play in the game, but Daley and Jeff Staniland hit consecutive 3-pointers, and Damian Raibon's layup gave the Cougars a 52-49 lead with 10:50 remaining in the game. Point Loma tied the game at 52-52 with 10:33 to play, when Ryan Tempas completed a 3-point play, but Raibon answered with a 3-point play on the other end, giving the Cougars a 55-52 lead they would not relinquish.

Raibon gave the Cougars a 10-point cushion with 6:06 left in the game when he hit his only 3-pointer of the game, part of a 12-3 Cougar run, capped by a Joseph 3-pointer with 5:16 to play.

Point Loma got into foul trouble early in the game, as B.J. Foster picked up his third foul with 8:19 remaining in the half. Lindstrom and Willie Briscoe each picked up 2 fouls in the first half, as well.

The Crusaders went on a 14-1 run, led by 3 field goals from Brian Frey, to take its largest lead at 23-16 with 9:06 remaining in the first half.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 10-2 in GSAC play, 20-4 overall, while Point Loma drops to two games behind the conference leaders with an 9-3 conference record, 21-4 overall.