AZUSA, CALIF. –  Tonight's GSAC home opener was not supposed to be this easy, unless a team plays defense like Azusa Pacific did tonight.
 
After surviving the first 5 minutes in which Christian Heritage could seemingly do no wrong, the Cougars, ranked No. 4 in the NAIA, scored 34 points off 28 turnovers, and rolled to an easy 81-58 win over Christian Heritage in Azusa.
 
"After the first five minutes, we played as well defensively as we have all year," said Azusa Pacific head coach Bill Odell. "Anthony, Ladrick and Caleb, came into the game and picked up the defensive intensity, which sparked our run. That's the reason they come off the bench, to be a spark."
 
Senior Anthony Haggins dumped in a game-high 18 points off the bench to lead 4 Cougars in double-figures. Haggins hit 7-of-9 shots and also grabbed 6 rebounds.
 
In the opening 5 minutes, Christian Heritage was shooting at a hoop twice as big as the normal size, or so it seemed. The Hawks nailed their first 7 shots and committed just one measly turnover to take a 14-9 lead, but then the Cougar defense awakened.
 
Over the next 8:24, the Cougars got 9 points from Haggins and 5 points from senior Steve McIlwain to spark a 18-4 run and turn a 5-point deficit into a 11-point lead (27-16) with 7:02 left.
 
"I just wanted to get into the game and do what coach wanted me to," said Haggins. "I felt good tonight and felt like I was able to take advantage of the smaller guards."
 
The Hawks' Matt Krause hit a pair of free throws to stop the bleeding momentarily, but McIlwain buried another trey, and the Cougars were off to another 22-7 run over the final 6:35. When the dust had settled, the Cougars forced 20 turnovers, limited the Hawks to just 3-of-14 over the final 15 minutes of the first half and carried a comfortable 49-25 lead into the locker room.
 
Out to a comfortable 24-point halftime lead, the second half was mere formality.
 
Junior Jeff Staniland tossed in 16 points. McIlwain added 14, and junior Caleb Gervin chipped in with 11.
 
Azusa Pacific improves to 7-1 ont eh season, 3-0 in the GSAC.  Christian Heritage falls to 5-4 overall, 2-1 in the GSAC.