WHITTIER, CALIF. – No matter which side of the court you found yourself – this was a classic.
 
In a battle of 2 of the NAIA's premier teams, No. 3-ranked Azusa Pacific scored 7 straight points in the final 4 minutes to put away No. 10-ranked Biola, 75-68, to win the GSAC Postseason Tournament championship.
 
Biola rallied from 16 down in the first half to make it a sprint to the end.  The Eagles used a 14-3 run capped by a Nate Strong put-back to tie the game at 45-45 at the 12:04 mark.  From there, the 2 teams traded leads 10 times and tied the game another 8 times. 
 
Strong's leaning jumper with 3:54 to play put the Eagles up 62-60.  It was the last time they would lead.  A Justin Leslie jumper followed by 5 Cougar free throws, including 2 by Leslie, turned Azusa Pacific's fortunes and put the Cougars out of reach at 67-62 with 68 seconds remaining.
 
"They made some very tough shots that kept them in the game," said Leslie.  "We just had to keep pounding on them and pounding on them.  And that's what we had to do in order to slow them."
 
Biola's defense, which was sluggish in the opening half, was near stifling in the second frame, limiting Azusa Pacific to just 6 field goals and a mere 14 shots from the floor.
 
However, Azusa Pacific made a living at the line, burying 22-of-28 attempts at the charity stripe in the second half, including 13-of-14 in the final 4 minutes.
 
"We came out ready to play, knowing it would be a war," said Cougar coach Bill Odell.  "These kids showed they were ready to compete, although there was nothing on the line tonight but pride."
 
Junior Anthony Haggins tallied a team-high 22 points to lead Azusa Pacific.  Leslie added 19 points while sophomore guard Jeff Staniland added 17 points, including 11 in the first half when Azusa Pacific led at one point by 16 (29-13) with 9:08 remaining before halftime.

"As a team we stepped up," said Leslie, "and I'm very proud of all the guys.  When we play Biola, it seems like it always comes down to the end.  Neither team will give up."
 
Staniland scored 8 of Azusa Pacific's first 14 points, then Haggins scored 10 of his team's next 13 as the Cougars jumped out to their largest lead of the half at 27-11 to start the game. A Leslie 3-pointer gave the Cougars a 40-26 lead with 2 minutes to play in the half, but Mark Thrash cut the lead to 12 with 47 seconds left, and Strong knocked down second trey of the game vwith just 6 seconds remaining to cut the Cougar lead to 40-31 at halftime.
 
The win, which is Azusa Pacific's school-record 19^th in a row, pushes the Cougar record to 33-2.  Biola is now 25-6.  Both teams will compete in next week's NAIA Championship Tournament in Tulsa, Okla.