MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Azusa Pacific made 7 of its first 9 shots to start the second half, including a 3-pointer by Scott Zea that capped a 15-5 run, to highlight a dominating final 20 minutes of play that paced the NAIA's No. 3-ranked Cougars to a convincing 85-65 victory over Montana State-Northern in the 7th Annual Cruzin' Classic hosted by Barry University.
Senior center Brice Prather scored a career-high 24 points on an impressive 12-for-14 clip from the floor, and Zea added 19 to pace the second-half explosion in which the Cougars shot at a sizzling 73-percent (18-for-25).
Azusa Pacific, which at one point trailed by 7 points in the first half and was still down 41-40 after halftime, retook control of play and the lead at the start the second half on a Zea put-back. The Cougars never trailed again, and proceeded to blow the Northern Lights out of the nearby Atlantic Ocean water with a game-ending 24-5 run over the final 9 minutes of play.
Senior guard Demario Butler added 16 points to go along with a game-high 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Tristan King added 12 points while Khalif Ford added 6 points to go along with a season-high 9 assists and 3 steals.
Zea tallied 15 of his 19 points in the second half, draining a trio of treys in the process including one that ignited the game-ending run after MSUN had rallied back to within a point at 61-60. The Cougar defensive also tightened down the stretch, forcing the Northern Lights to miss 10 of their final 11 shots while inducing 3 of MSUN's 20 turnovers for the game.
Prather, who is playing the best basketball of his career with 50 points and 20 rebounds over the past 3 games, was balanced in his effort throughout the game, making 6-of-7 shots each half to account for his 2-dozen points.
Azusa Pacific held a narrow 2-point advantage throughout much of the first half until Montana State went on a 7-0 run to assume a 23-18 advantage following an Erv Sims lay-up with 8 minutes left in the half. After Delvaughn Tinned canned a pair of free throws the Northern Lights found themselves up 7 at 33-26. The Cougars rallied with a late flurry highlighted by a King dunk with to pull Azusa Pacific back to within a point at halftime, setting up the second-half runaway in which the Cougars out-scored MSNU, 45-24.
After taking the 7-point advantage, Montana State lost its touch from the floor, missing 23 of it final 32 shots, shooting just 28-percent over the final 24 minutes of the game.
Center Drew Pettersen led Montana State with 21 points, including 13 in the first half.
The victory is Azusa Pacific's fifth straight and pushes the Cougars' record to 10-1 on the season while Montana State-Northern has its 5-game winning streak snapped and falls to 9-5.
