AZUSA, CALIF. – The NAIA No. 3-ranked Azusa Pacific opened post-season play tonight, downing the Vanguard Lions 93-70 in the first round of the GSAC Postseason Tournament to extend their current win streak to a school-record 17 games.
 
Leading tonight's attack was Steve McIlwain, who scored 22 points on perfect shooting from all over the floor. The junior guard hit all 4 three-pointers he attempted and sank all 10 of his free throw opportunities.
 
"I was more focused on playing good defense and not letting them score, and I didn't really think much about offense," said McIlwain, who did not commit a single foul in 21 minutes on the floor. "I play my best when I'm not thinking about it, when I am just letting it flow."
 
McIlwain sparked a game-sealing run, dishing one of his 4 assists to fellow guard Jeff Staniland, leading the Cougars on a 17-3 run that gave them their largest lead of the game at 84-57 with 3:26 to play.
 
All-GSAC forward John Bourne got Azusa Pacific the early lead just 20 seconds into the game.  He finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 free throws.
 
Halfway through the first half, the Cougars found themselves leading by just one point. McIlwain sank 4 free throws and a trey to spark a 9-2 run that would give the Cougars a 32-22 lead with 4:16 remaining in the first half.  McIlwain came up big again, capping a 7-0 run with another trey with 5 seconds to play in the half as the Cougars took a 43-29 halftime lead.
 
"It took us a while to get going, but I thought we did a decent job early defensively, although we weren't scoring as rapidly as I had hoped we would," said GSAC Coach of the Year Bill Odell. "Steve really ignited us off the bench by hitting all of his shots."
 
All-GSAC guard Caleb Gervin finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, as 5 different Cougars scored in double figures. Staniland finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds, while senior center Justin Leslie chipped in with 15 points and tied his season high with 5 blocks.
 
With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 31-2 overall and advances to the GSAC Tourney semi-finals, where
the Cougars are set to take on Westmont, an 83-74 winner this Saturday at 8 p.m. at Whittier College. Vanguard finishes its season with an overall record of 8-22.