BREA, CALIF. – The excuses for this effort can run deep into the dark cold night, but when everything is said and analyzed, the NAIA's No. 5-ranked Azusa Pacific still posts a notch in the victory ledger after a 75-62 GSAC win over Hope International.
A listless set of Cougars twice had to rally from 9-point first-half deficits to get back into the game. And had it not been for foul trouble on HIU's 6-foot-10 center Axel Margaritha, Azusa Pacific may have found itself in a nail-biter to the end.
Hope led for all but 20 seconds of the first half and owned a 31-27 lead
at the half. However, when Margaritha picked up his fourth foul early in the second half, Azusa Pacific finally found an inside game that had been frustrated and nearly non-existent to that point. Cougar frontlinemen
Justin Leslie and
John Bourne went to work, scoring 19 of their combined 31 points in the second half, and Azusa Pacific, which to that point had held a pair of 1-point leads earlier the game, now found itself up by 5 with13 minutes to play.
HIU coach Jason Lowery saw a major upset slipping away and opted to put Margaritha back in the game. However, Bourne, who made just 3 of his first 12 shots, kept attacking Margaritha until the likely All-GSAC center finally fouled out with over 8 minutes to play.
From there the Cougars stretched a 5-point lead into a 14-point cushion, and as quickly as they ran away from HIU, they also ran out of the Brea Community Center, ready to get this game behind them.
Bourne led the Cougars with 18 points but was 7-for-18 from the floor. Leslie finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists, including a pair of key passes to Bourne during the Cougars' second-half run.
Jeff Staniland tallied 15, including 12 in the second half, while
Caleb Gervin finished with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds.
Margaritha led HIU with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Azusa Pacific has now won 12 straight and improves to 26-2 overall, 13-1 in the GSAC. Hope International falls to 10-18 overall, 2-12 in the GSAC.
