Junior center Chidi Ajufo, who was part of an early mass insertion of Cougar subs, infused a bolt of energy into the game with 4 impressive dunks, and fellow junior reserve Todd Martin tallied a team-high 15 points, including 14 in the first half, to lead Azusa Pacific out of the doldrums and to the 59-point margin of victory

At the outset, the Cougars looked every bit of a team not too concerned about a foe that it had just beaten by 45 points on the road 2 weeks ago. In an effort to regain some respect, the undermanned Warriors out-played Azusa Pacific through the first 10 minutes, leading most of the way and still holding a 20-19 advantage. So Azusa Pacific coach Bill Odell cleared the bench less than 5 minutes into the game and took the starters out for rest of the half. Led by Martin and Ajufo, the reserves responded, fashioning a 13-2 run to put Azusa Pacific back in control of the game.

"To me, we have to respect every opponent and we didn't tonight," said Cougar coach Bill Odell. "I wasn't going to put the starters back in the rest of half. At least the second group played hard."

Fresh off a career-high 22-point effort in Saturday's victory over Concordia, junior guard Matt Oliver put together another career night, this time involving his teammates while handing out a personal best 11 assists, including 8 in the first half. He also snagged a game-high 4 steals. He engineered another 13-2 run late in the first half that allowed the Cougars to scoot out to a 52-36 halftime lead.

At the break Odell expressed displeasure at his team's intensity, and the starters got the message, putting together a 23-6 run to start the second half to blow open the game. Led by All-GSAC guard Demario Butler, Azusa Pacific forced 8 of Life Pacific's 26 turnovers during the early run, including 4 on 4 consecutive possessions. The run ended on an Ajufo alley-oop reverse dunk that rattled the rafters of the Felix Event Center like no other throw-down before. Two minutes later, Ajufo looked to match his previous dunk with a monster two-handed tomahawk down the key that left the sparse crowd aghast and astonished, and the Cougars up 81-45 with just under 10 minutes to play.

"Our defensive effort was better in the second half," said Odell, "and that's what got those kind of dunks going."

Indeed, the defense tightened. Azusa Pacific held Life Pacific to just 27-percent (6-for-22) shooting in the second and produced a 7-minute stretch in which it allowed the Warriors just 1 field goal.

At the other end of the court, the Cougars caught fire, shooting a season-high 64-percent (44-for-69) for the game, including a blazing .774 (24-for-31) clip in the second half. All 14 Cougars scored, including 5 in double figures. Junior Caleb Rouse epitomized the torrid pace by scoring all 9 of his season-high points in just 5 minutes, burying all 4 of his shot attempts.

The victory pushes Azusa Pacific's record to 6-1 on the season. Life Pacific falls to 2-9.

The competition for Azusa Pacific takes a 180-degree turn during Friday night's second round play of the Cougar Classic when the Cougars take on the NAIA's No. 4-ranked Mountain State, a team that has never lost in 6 previous games in the Felix Event Center, including 3 victories over Azusa Pacific.