SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. – Gary Dredge opened the second half of Tuesday's GSAC game at Westmont with a missed lay-up and dropped pass, a pair of miscues that instead of giving Azusa Pacific its first 4-point lead of the game, landed Dredge on the bench where he watched the Warriors reel off an 8-0 run and to take the biggest lead of the game at 44-38 less than 3 minutes into the second half.

However, behind the stellar play of All-American Kevin Daley, Dredge was handed an opportunity of redemption and seized it with both hands. The 6-foot-8 Irish sophomore made a lay-up with 1:42 left to play that gave Azusa Pacific a 65-64 lead and then made a free throw 25 seconds later that gave the NAIA's No. 8-ranked Cougars final control. Dredge completed his redemption when he snagged a crucial rebound of a missed Warrior 3-point attempt to secure a GSAC victory over Westmont, 72-68, a 4-point verdict that Dredge eventually played a key a role securing.

Tonight's clash was a typical Azusa Pacific-Westmont game. There were 15 ties and 13 lead changes and for the 14th time in the past 17 meetings, the game was decided by less than 7 points.

Daley caught fire, making 8 straight shots at one point, and scored 15 of the Cougars' first 22 points of the second half. His lay-up with 12:21 remaing brought Azusa Pacific back from the 6-point hole, knotting the score at 50-50. Freshman Jeff Staniland gave the Cougars their first lead since the opening minute of the second half with a short jumper in the key that put the Cougars up 54-52 with 10:26 left. From there the 2 teams exchanged leads or tied the score 10 more times until Damian Raibon's running lay-up across the key with 45 seconds left gave the Cougars a 68-66 lead it would not relinquish.

The game was tied 36-36 at the half after Warrior Mitch Pierce made a pair of free throws with no time left on the clock. Westmont led by as much as 5 (20-15) in the early going before the Cougars rallied to take a pair of 3-point leads, one coming at 34-31 after Daley made a trey.

Corey Blick and Chris Gonzales, who both enjoyed huge 30-point games in the Jan. 11 meeting in Azusa, continued their hot hand in the first half tonight, combining for 16 points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting. Gonzales eventually finished with a team-high 22 point on 11-for-12 shooting, while Blick made 6-of-9 shots, including 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc, to tally 16 points.

Daley finished with 26 points, including 15 in the second half, and a game-high 7 rebounds. Senior Jerome Joseph, who entered the game averaging over 19 points, was held in check most of the night but finished with 13 points, 9 of which came in the final 7 minutes of the game.