SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- Perhaps the Azusa Pacific-Biola school rivalry is the best on the west coast, but the intensity and emotion generated among the players of an Azusa Pacific-Westmont game certainly has no peer either.
For the first time in several years, Azusa Pacific matched the adrenalin of an emotionally-charged Westmont, and the end result was a 73-53 Cougar thumping that gave Azusa Pacific not only its first regular-season victory over the Warriors in 3 years, but also its first victory in Santa Barbara in 3 years. And this wasn’t just any victory in Murchison Gym. This was easily the Cougars’ largest margin of victory ever on the Warriors’ home court.
Azusa Pacific used a 6-minute stretch late in the first half in which it held the Warriors to just one field goal to blow open a tight game, going on a 13-2 run to open up a 34-22 lead with just under 3 minutes left in the half. Guard Ryan Dillon and Larry English combined for 3 straight 3-point baskets in the middle of the Cougar outburst, turning the momentum and the game in Azusa Pacific’s favor.”
“We played great defense and hit some key 3s,” said Cougar coach Bill Odell as he reflected on his 19th victory over his alma mater. “We really played very well right at that moment, and if (Kevin) Blomstrom wasn’t having a career half, we could have been up by more at halftime.”
Azusa Pacific led 36-24 at the half. Blomstrom, who had 11 of his team-high 15 points in the first half, scored the Warriors’ last 8 points over the final 10 minutes of the first half.
Yet he was just a one-man bullet trying to offset an arsenal of Cougars who shot at Westmont from all directions. Warrior-killer Brett Michel, who in his long Azusa Pacific career has enjoyed his best-ever showings against Westmont, had another typical effort, draining a game-high 18 points to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
“Brett played extremely well tonight,” said Odell. “It’s really the first time I’ve seen him step up and become a leader of the team. That’s just not his nature, but he did a great job tonight.”
English and Dillon, who accounted for all 5 of Azusa Pacific’s baskets beyond the 3-point arc, both finished with 13 points, while freshman Spencer Foster came off the bench to ignite the Cougars with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.
“As is usually the case with Spencer, he gave us a charge off the bench and sparked our intensity,” said Odell. “In fact, this was the best intensity we’ve had all year.”
Westmont’s Murchison Gym is never an easy place to play for any opponent, but it has been particularly frustrating to the Cougars in past years. Though they have won in 7 previous visits to Westmont, none of them were double-digit verdicts like tonight’s outcome.
Admittedly, Azusa Pacific has struggled from the free throw line at times this season. Yet at one point in the second half, the Cougars buried 7-of-8 from the charity stripe and opened a 20-point cushion at 57-37 with 8 minutes left in the game.
For years though, Westmont has been known as fiercest team in the GSAC, and in keeping with their personality, the Warriors mounted one last comeback, using a full-court press to pull to within 10 at 59-49 following a Luke Allen jumper with 5:22 remaining.
“The end got a little sloppy for us,” said Odell, “and we had problems handling their pressure. Other than that, however, this was probably our best effort of the season.”
Azusa Pacific closed the game on a 14-4 run to collect its first-ever 20-point victory in Murchison Gym, and its first over a Westmont team since a 79-58 decision in the 1993 NAIA District 3 championship game played in Whittier, Calif.
With the victory, the NAIA’s No. 12-ranked Azusa Pacific improves to 17-4 overall, 8-1 in the GSAC to stay a half-game behind conference frontrunner Concordia. With the loss, Westmont falls to 10-5 overall, 5-3 in the GSAC.
