SAN DIMAS, Calif. – In an effort to keep legs fresh and minds sharp, Azusa Pacific closed out a week-long of final exams with a cruise control victory over upstart Life Pacific College, beating the Warriors, 104-40, in the Cougars' first-ever visit to LPC's Hicks Center.
Five different Cougars scored in double figures with sophomore Spencer Foster leading the way with his second double-double of the season, 17 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Mike Hornbuckle put together his second straight strong performance with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Azusa Pacific used a 20-2 run midway through the first half to open a 33-9 lead following a Hornbuckle trey. The Cougar defense, which has been sterling all year, was masterful in holding the Warriors without a field goal for nearly 5-and-a-half minutes. In fact, Life Pacific made just 3 field goals in the final 12 minutes, allowing Azusa Pacific to assume a comfortable 52-16 halftime lead.
While the outcome was academic, the work at hand was not. Using 4 different point guards, Azusa Pacific continually executed its offense, which produced 40 field goals off of 27 assists. All 12 Cougars saw significant playing time with junior Nate Pratt getting the least amount of action with 13 minutes, but he was the most efficient Cougar, tallying 15 points. Junior Lance Soderberg dropped in 13 points to go along with 9 rebounds, while Colton Cornfoot chipped in 10 points with a career-high 7 assists.
The Cougars, who have struggled mightily with their shooting this season, were not necessarily sharp in the first half, but they may have turned a corner by sizzling over the final 20 minutes of play, draining 20-of-34 shots to finish the game with a season-best .533 (40-for-75) clip for the game.
The final 64-point margin of victory falls well short of the school-record 83 when Azusa Pacific dumped Bethany, 120-37 in 1999. The 16 first-half points allowed are just 1 shy of the school-record 15 allowed in one half to Florida College in 2000.
With the victory, the NAIA's No. 21-ranked Azusa Pacific improves to 8-3 while Life Pacific falls to 4-4. In order to avoid an 11-day layoff, the Cougars will return to the Felix Event Center Tuesday (Dec. 21) to take on an Alumni team featuring former Cougar standouts Caleb Gervin, Jeff Staniland, Jerome Joseph, Ladrick Simon and several others.
