Foster snapped out of a mini 3-game slump in grand fashion by canning 9 of his first 11 shots, 4 of which came from beyond the arc, and ignited Azusa Pacific which had stumbled out of the gate.

"Coming off an emotional win last Saturday (at The Master's), we just didn't have it," said Foster, who scored 15 first-half points after draining 6-of-7 shots. "It's my job to come off the bench and spark us. You got to keep working hard and realize that good things are going to happen."

Hope International scored 9 of the game's first 10 points before Azusa Pacific went on a 13-2 wake-up call to make a game of it. HIU was still up 33-30 with just over 3 minutes remaining in the half when the Cougars put together another run, this of the 10-0 variety that was capped by Nate Pratt's fade-away 3-pointer from the wing, giving Azusa Pacific its largest lead of the half at 40-33.

However, Hope closed the half with 5 unanswered points to pull to within 40-38 at the break.

Senior guard Larry English, who was held scoreless in the first half, offered support to Foster in the second half, first banging a 3-pointer from the top before stealing a Jonathan Leitch pass that led to a lay-up and the game-clinching 16-4 run that ended with a Foster trey from the left corner and a comfortable 67-51 Azusa Pacific lead with 10 minutes left in the game.

"They really didn't rotate well on defense," said Foster, who in the 3 previous games combined had scored just 17 points on 7-for-20 shooting. "The guys were getting me the ball for some pretty wide open looks."

Hope International, which made 14 shots in the first half, including a quartet of 3-pointers, was held to just 2 field goals over a critical 5-and-a-half-minute stretch in the second half in which the Royals went from 4 down (51-47) to 18 down (71-53).

"There wasn't a sense a sense of urgency among us," commented Foster about Hope staying within striking distance for nearly 30 minutes of the game. "I don't think we were looking ahead to Concordia. We just knew we needed to get the job done tonight."

At one point in the second half Azusa Pacific had out-scored Hope International, 42-17, a pace similar to those that had allowed the Cougars to beat HIU by no less than 31 in any of the past 7 meetings. Azusa Pacific has now won 16 straight over the Royals, who last beat an Azusa Pacific team in 1988.

Sophomore center Brice Prather put together his third straight strong showing, tallying career-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds. He is averaging 16 points and 8.7 rebounds in the past 3 games. Juniors Lance Soderberg and Kasey Myers each recorded 11 points.

Hope International was paced by Rodrigo Clemente's 19 points. Jared Lloyd added 15, all in the first half.

The victory, which is the Cougars' 11th in a row, keeps Azusa Pacific in first place in the GSAC, a game-and-a-half ahead of Biola. The Cougars improve to 20-5 overall, posting their school-record 13th straight 20-win campaign, and 12-2 in the GSAC. Hope International falls to 4-17 overall, 1-12 in the GSAC.