IRVINE, CALIF. – The NAIA's No. 4-ranked Azusa Pacific shot a blazing 69% (37-for-54) from the floor and as a result torched Concordia, 117-90, on the road to win for the 14^th consecutive time.
 
Additionally, with the victory, Azusa Pacific clinches at least a share of its record-setting ninth consecutive Golden State Athletic Conference championship.  The Cougars are 2-games up on second-place Christian heritage with 2 conference games left in the regular season.
 
The Cougars led wire-to-wire in this game, using an 11-2 run less than 4 minutes in to assume control at 21-8.  Behind John Bourne's perfect first-half shooting in which he canned all 7 of his shots, including a trey, Azusa Pacific jetted out to a 66-40 halftime lead, shooting an amazing 70% (21-for-30) as a team. 
 
The Cougars continued to cruise in the second half allowing Concordia to get no closer than 18 at 73-55 with 15:41 remaining. That is when Azusa Pacific buried the Eagles in a 14-0 avalanche to push the margin back over 30.  The Cougars eventually led by 39 at 115-76 with 2:18 remaining before Concordia finished off the game with a 14-2 run.
 
Seven different Cougars scored in double figures, led by senior center Justin Leslie's 21.  Bourne scored all 18 of his points in the first half.  Jeff Staniland and Anthony haggins each tallied 14 points while Steve McIlwain added 13 off the bench. McIlwain, Haggins and fresman Brett Michel each made a trio of 3-point shots, leading the Cougars to a 14-for-22 effort at the 3-point arc (.636), just percentage points off the school-record .647(11-for-17) which ironically was set against Concordia in 1992.
 
The win is Azusa Pacific's 14^th straight, which matches a similar streak put together earlier this season, and is the third longest in program history.  The 1998 Cougars won 17 straight and the 1993 squad strung 16 victories in a row.  The 117 points are the most scored by the Cougars in a GSAC game since a 118-78 win at Vanguard in 1994.
 
With the win, the Cougars improve to 28-2 overall, 15-1 in the GSAC.  Their 28 wins are the most in the nation.  Concordia falls to 10-16 overall, 4-12 in the GSAC.