WHITTIER, CALIF. – Despite having to play the final 6:29 without its 2 best frontline players, including All-GSAC forward Chris Gonzales, Westmont was able to mount a 14-1 run in the closing minutes to post a come-from-behind 81-73 upset of the NAIA's No. 3-ranked Azusa Pacific in the semifinals of GSAC Postseason Tournament Saturday night.
With the victory, Westmont advances to the conference tourney championship game where it will meet Point Loma Nazarene on Tuesday (March 7) at Whittier College to determine the GSAC's second automatic berth into the NAIA Championship Tourney. (Azusa Pacific secured the conference's first automatic bid by winning its eighth straight GSAC regular season championship last week).
Against Westmont, the Cougars struggled throughout most of the night with poor shooting and limited rebounding. Nonetheless, they were able to scratch out a 65-60 lead with 5:49 left in the game when GSAC Player of the Year Kevin Daley threaded a one-handed pass from the top of the key to a wide open Jerome Joseph under the basket for an easy lay-up. Daley then stuffed a Ryan Monroe shot in the middle of the key to give the Cougars a chance to go up by 7, but Daley missed a baseline jumper at the 5-minute mark, opening the door for Westmont's run.
Back-to-back baskets by freshman Billy Gully pulled Westmont to within 1 at 65-64 with 4:42 to play. Junior Cory Blick then canned a jumper to put the Warriors up for good at 66-65 with 3:58 to play. In the midst of the Warrior run, the Cougars missed 7 consecutive shots and mustered just 1 point, a Joseph free throw. By the time Gully made 2 free throws with 1:28 remaining, Westmont had an insurmountable 74-66 lead.
The Cougars missed 11 of their final 14 shots and managed just 4 rebounds in the final 5 minutes of the game. Westmont, which lost the 6-foot-5 Gonzales to 5 fouls at the 7:33 mark and the 6-foot-4 Michael Payne to fouls as well with 6:29 left, still beat the Cougars 50-42 on the boards, including a massive 30-16 edge in the second half.
Daley led the Cougars with 27 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. He already had his 11th double-double by halftime when, tallying 17 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Cougars to a 37-36 halftime lead. Joseph finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds.
Less than 12 minutes into the game, Azusa Pacific lost freshman point guard Jeff Staniland, the team's third-leading scorer, when he was elbowed in the head, opening a 1-inch gash that required stitches at a nearby hospital. As his replacement, Isamu Nichols recorded 6 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds.
Neither team shot well, but Westmont made 25-of-32 free throws while the Cougars were just 17-of-26 at the line.
With the loss, Azusa Pacific has an 8-game win streak snapped for the third time this season (the Cougars have yet to win 9 straight). And for the second straight year, they head into the NAIA Tourney on the heels of a loss. However, last year, the setback didn't seem to trouble the Cougars, who went on to advance to the NAIA Final Four for the second straight year.
Now 27-5 on the season, Azusa Pacific awaits word for its seeding and first-round opponent for the NAIA Championship Tournament, which will be released from the NAIA national office on Wednesday, March 8, in the late afternoon.
The NAIA Championship Tournament will be held March 14-20 at the Tulsa Convention Center in downtown Tulsa, Okla.
