FULLERTON, Calif. -- Reserves
Jeff Bates and
Nate Pratt combined for 33 points, thanks in part to 9-for-15 shooting at the 3-point arc, to lead the NAIA’s No. 8-ranked Azusa Pacific to 102-59 Golden State Athletic Conference victory over Hope International, Tuesday evening in the Darling Pavilion.
An undermanned Hope International, which was already without the services of head coach Tim Sweeney (illness), had to play without its leading scorer, Tony Roberts (16.2 avg.), and leading rebounder, Rodrigo Clemente (8.9 avg.), both of whom were declared ineligible late last week. Without their big guns, the Royals were hard-pressed to slow a Cougar team that has now won 17 of its past 18 game.
From the opening tip the Cougars took advantage of Hope, making 9 of their first 10 shots. At the same time, Hope missed its first 9 shots and committed 5 turnovers. The Cougars’ fiery start combined with Hope’s opening mishaps allowed Azusa Pacific to stroll out to 21-0 lead less than 6 minutes into the game. Sophomore forward Lance Soderberg, who has struggled the past 2 games with just a combined 12 points vs. Westmont and Point Loma Nazarene, scored 10 in the Cougars’ opening run.
With the play squarely in Azusa Pacific’s control, Cougar coach Bill Odell cleared his bench earlier than usual, bringing in 5 reserves, including Bates and Pratt, all at the same time at the 14-minute mark of the half. From there the reserves held serve.
Only 3 Cougars played more than 20 minutes, and even then none had more than 22 minutes of action. Bates tallied a career-high 17 points on the strength of 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point territory. Likewise, Pratt matched his career-high with 16 points, 13 of which came in the first half when he paced the Cougars to a 54-26 halftime lead.
All told, Azusa Pacific drained 15 triples, the fourth time this season the Cougars have made at least that many from the arc. Soderberg, who was a perfect 7-for-7 from the floor, finished with 16 points in just 18 minutes of work. Danny Rosales and Brett Michel each added 12 points. Sophomore guard Kasey Myers, the only Cougar not to score, nonetheless handed out a career-high 9 assists. In fact, Azusa Pacific’s offense was so efficient tonight that 30 of its 37 field goals came off assists.
With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 19-4 overall and is now just 1 win shy of its 12th straight 20-win season. The Cougars remain in second place in the GSAC at 10-1, a game behind Concordia. Hope International, which was led by Jared Lloyd’s game-high 20 points, falls to 2-20 overall, 0-11 in the GSAC.
