Pratt, who quit basketball this past summer in order to concentrate on graduating this year, enrolled in a whopping 21 units this fall semester. However, 2 weeks into the new academic year, he couldn't overcome his yearning to be back on the court, and thus he returned to the Cougar basketball squad, hoping to balance his heavy academic load with the demands of college basketball. It hasn't been an easy balancing act and it showed in his inconsistent play on the floor. The semester is over, though, and Pratt's concentration is all on basketball.

"I haven't been shooting well," said Pratt. "I haven't had many repetitions during the year, but since school has been out we've been working on that. After the second three tonight, I began to realize that I had it. I did everything right on that shot."

Pratt made his first 6 treys, including 4 in the first half when Azusa Pacific raced out to a 51-25 halftime lead. The Cougars took advantage of 17 Spire turnovers, turning them into 19 points. Pratt opened the second half by banging home his first 2 attempts from the 3-point stripe as Azusa Pacific moved out to a 37-point lead at 65-28 just 4 minutes into the second half. The Cougars eventually led by as much as 49 (114-65) before settling on the 46-point margin of victory.

A youthful set of Cougars seemed to ride Pratt's coattails. Six of the 9 Cougars who played scored in double figures. Lance Soderberg added 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots, while sophomore Jeff Bates accounted for 17 points as well. Freshmen Adam Greenaway, Matt Oliver, and Mike Hornbuckle combined for 32 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. Oliver finished with career highs of 10 points, 6 assists and 5 steals in 23 minutes.

Pratt broke the previous school single-game record of 7 treys that was held by 3 different Cougars, but originally was set by Matt Burns back in 1991. After making 7 of his first 8 3-point shots, Pratt had 3 attempts at the new standard before his 12th shot from beyond the arc fell.

"I didn't know they were running plays for me to get the record," said Pratt. "I thought they wanted me to get 30 points. After I hit the last one I said, 'let's not do this anymore and just let the clock run down. It wasn't until I got to the bench that I knew about the record."

Pratt ended the game 12-for-17 shooting from the floor and scored the most points by a Cougar since All-American Caleb Gervin poured in 34 points on Concordia in February of 2003. The Cougars, who have struggled mightily this year to put the ball through the net, shot a season-high 55% (41-for-74) and made a season-best 16 3-point field goals. "We have definitely turned a corner and everyone has turned it," said Pratt concerning Azusa Pacific's shooting woes. "I don't expect a let down. We will build on this game prove it was not a fluke."

Azusa Pacific opened the game with a 12-3 run and never looked back. St. Mary, which was without its top player John Clark who was not on even on the bench tonight, was paced by Richard Cooper's 23 points, 19 of which came in the second half. C.J. Zimmerlink added 11 points before being ejected with a technical foul with just over a minute left in the game.