CHICO, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific jumped out to a double-digit halftime lead over San Francisco State, which never seriously threatened in the second half of the Cougars' 79-56 win over the Gators Friday night in the opening game of the 55th annual Carl's Jr. Mac Martin Invitational hosted by Chico State.
Senior guard Kevin Stafford led all scorers with 15 points, all on three-pointers, as Azusa Pacific produced three scorers in double figures while holding San Francisco State without a single player in double digits. The Cougars trailed for merely 11 seconds in the game, by a single point, and Stafford helped break the game open by raining three consecutive three-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Azusa Pacific its first double-digit lead of the game, 27-17, with 8:25 left in the opening period.
After San Francisco State pulled within five points, 28-23, with 5:13 remaining, junior forward Jared Zoller answered with another three-pointer to help expand the Cougars' halftime lead to 35-26. Stafford and senior guard Troy Leaf each hit three-pointers in the first two minutes after halftime, sparking a 13-2 run that kept Azusa Pacific in front by at least 15 points the rest of the way.
Senior forward Andy Jones led all rebounders with a game-high seven rebounds, helping the Cougars to a commanding 36-21 rebounding margin. It was the fourth time the Cougars have won the battle of the boards by at least 10 rebounds, and they kept San Francisco State from having any player register more than three rebounds.
"This was a great team win, because we executed and played together at both ends of the floor," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said. "Offensively, we had different guys step up and contribute throughout the game, and defensively we finished possessions. Finishing plus-15 on the boards against a bigger team says a lot about the toughness we brought tonight."
Azusa Pacific improves to 5-1 on the season, running its winning streak to four games heading into Saturday's matchup against No. 12-ranked defending NCAA Division II West Region champion Chico State. The Cougars were 11-for-26 (42 percent) on three-pointers, hitting six-of-nine in the first half and sinking at least 10 threes for the fourth time in six games so far this year.
Leaf, who started the year with five consecutive games scoring at least 20 points, finished with 11 points but only attempted eight shots. He assisted a pair of Stafford threes, while senior point guard Robert Sandoval was a perfect four-for-four from the field with a three-pointer to score 13 points to go with six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore forward Will Ward contributed nine points and four rebounds off the bench, and Zoller added eight points, as nine different Cougars scored at least five points. Jones was one of the five-point scorers, and he added two blocks to go with his game rebounding high.
Azusa Pacific also recorded its fourth game of the season shooting over 50 percent, knocking down 25-of-47 (53 percent) from the field, while San Francisco State went 23-of-56 (41 percent) from the field. The Gators were five-for-22 (23 percent) on three-pointers, becoming the fourth Cougar opponent held below 30 percent from three-point range.
