Azusa Pacific, ranked No. 25 in the NAIA (it’s lowest ranking since 1996) as a result of losing 3 of its first 5 games, continued its recent rally and pushed its winning streak to 9 straight with an impressive 86-69 victory over No. 14 Christian Heritage, Tuesday night in the Felix Event Center.

The Cougars took advantage of a 7-minute CHC scoring drought to get control of the game in the first half and never relinquished the lead, which ballooned to 19 points in both the first and the second halves.

Senior Brett Michel led the Cougars with 19 points. Freshman Spencer Foster came off the bench to tally 15 points and grab a team-high 9 rebounds. Foster provided a much-needed spark in the second half, registering 12 points in the final frame, including 6 straight at one point after the Hawks had rallied to within 9.

“We had 3 keys tonight,” said Foster, “intensity, effort and defense. We knew we had to get it done early because Christian Heritage is a scrappy team, and they never quit.”

Centers Danny Rosales and Brice Prather combined for 25 points while slowing down Hawk center Rowan Gray, who had 19 points but was also plagued by foul trouble.

Azusa Pacific led 39-20 at the half, using a 14-0 run in which the Cougars held CHC scoreless for 7 minutes. The Hawks missed 8 straight shots and turned the ball over 4 times while the Cougars turned a 13-11 lead into a 27-11 cushion following a Foster trey with 5:42 left in the half. Michel led the way with 11 first half points.

“Everyone plays us tough in the conference,” said Michel, “so we focused on coming out with energy because that’s something we haven’t done lately. During the run we had a combination of good shooting and a good defensive effort. Danny and Brice did a good job at that moment of shutting down their big guy and keeping him ineffective.”

Christian Heritage rallied back into the game in the early minutes of the second half, taking advantage of 3 consecutive 3-point possessions to whittle the Cougar lead to 39-29. Foster was quickly inserted back into the game and immediately banged home a jumper to momentarily quell the Hawk run.

Azusa Pacific eventually moved back out to a 19-point lead following a Jeff Bates’ 3-ball that made the score 66-47 with 8:16 to play. Yet Christian Heritage refused to fold. Led by guard Brad Rogers’ 18 second-half points, the Hawks went on a 10-0 run capped by a Rogers’ fourth trey of the half to pull to within 9 at 66-57 with 5:32 to play. However, just as he did early in the half, Foster again stopped the bleeding with a short jumper, the first of 3 straight baskets by him, including a sneaky but wide-open lay-up that put the Cougars up 72-57 with 3:47 to play, breaking the Hawks’ spirit.

Rogers finished with a game-high 22 points leading Christian Heritage. Josh Bradshaw had a game-high 16 rebounds but did not score before fouling out in 32 minutes of play.

With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 11-3 on the season, 2-0 in the GSAC. Additionally, the Cougars post their 23rd consecutive victory over Christian Heritage, which hasn’t beaten Azusa Pacific since 1990. Meanwhile, Christian Heritage falls to 10-3 overall, 0-1 in the GSAC.