CHICO, Calif. -- With a convincing 75-61 upset of No. 12-ranked Chico State Saturday night, Azusa Pacific posted the signature win to its impressive set of early-season results against one of the most treacherous non-conference schedules facing any Division II West Region men's basketball program.
Senior guard Troy Leaf scored a game-high 17 points and added five assists and six steals to lead the battle-tested Cougars to the double-digit win over the defending NCAA Division II West Region champions in dominant fashion. The victory wrapped up a stretch of three consecutive weekends on the road, all against West Region Division II programs, giving Azusa Pacific an early taste of success in hostile environments.
" We knew the type of veteran group and talent we had coming back for this season, and what this team needed was to be forced to come together to get tested on the road," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said. "This schedule forced us to grow together and rely on each other, and now you're starting to see the results on the scoreboard. For as tough of a schedule we've played, I'm very pleased to be where we are at this point."
Leaf was named the tournament MVP of the 55th Annual Carls Jr. Mac Martin Invitational, and he was joined on the all-tournament team by senior point guard Robert Sandoval, who posted an 11-point, six-rebound, three-assist effort in the victory.
The win closely followed the Cougars' winning blueprint, starting with a double-digit halftime lead, 35-24, which continued into an 18-4 run to start the second half. Chico State never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way, and Azusa Pacific kept the game out of reach by knocking down 15-of-17 second-half free throws (and 19-of-21 overall) and controlling the boards by an 18-10 margin after halftime. The Cougars finished the game with a 34-32 rebounding edge.
"To win on the road, you have to win the rebounding battle, make your free throws, and protect the ball, and we did all of those things tonight," Leslie said. "This was a really tough weekend, because when you go into a weekend of preparation you don't talk about a Saturday opponent before the Friday game is over. Our guys didn't look beyond SF State, but the assistant coaches did a great job preparing us on such a short turnaround, and our guys picked it up and defended really well."
Azusa Pacific has not trailed at halftime of a game yet this season as it improves to 6-1 overall, and it has posted a positive rebounding margin six times in seven games so far this year. Chico State was the fifth opponent the Cougars have held below 30 percent shooting from three-point range, and the Wildcats are now 3-2 overall with both losses coming to Pacific West Conference opponents.
The only lead held by Chico State, which became the fifth Cougar opponent in seven games to shoot less than 30 percent from three-point range this year, was a 2-0 edge after the opening possession. It only lasted to the other end of the floor, when senior forward Andy Jones dropped in a layup that sparked a 17-2 run over the next six minutes. Leaf and senior guard Kevin Stafford hit three-pointers that sparked another first-half burst, a 12-4 run that resulted in a 17-point edge (33-16) with 3:25 left in the first half.
"Chico State had a great crowd, but the way we started took the crowd out of the game early," Leslie said. "It was exciting to see the team bring that energy and be more physical than them on their home floor. It says a lot to the level of physicality and toughness we brought to the game, because that was a huge display of maturity on our part tonight."
Leaf scored 10 of his 17 points in that opening half, and sophomore forward Will Ward came off the bench for 12 points and six rebounds. Leaf, Ward, and Sandoval were the only three Cougars who scored in double figures, although two others scored eight points for Azusa Pacific.
Chico State was led by Robert Duncan's 15-point performance, and no Wildcats player registered more than five rebounds.
