AZUSA, Calif. -- It took nearly 30 minutes for No. 17-ranked Azusa Pacific to get its defense clicking, but once it did the Cougars convincingly seized control of the Pacific West Conference lead with a 74-64 victory over Point Loma Wednesday night.
Senior forward Christian Katuala scored 12 points and tied a career-high with 10 rebounds for his second career double-double and his first this year. Senior guard Troy Leaf posted his fourth consecutive 20-point game, while senior point guard Robert Sandoval added 17 points and a game-high five assists. Leaf scored 14 of his 20 in the second half, and Sandoval went for 13 of his 17 after halftime.
The Cougars nailed 14-of-15 free throws in the final 10 minutes to help close out the game, finishing a near-perfect 18-for-19 from the line in the game to break the program's single-game free-throw percentage record with a .943 performance. The previous record of .931 (27-for-29) was set in the second game ever played in the Felix Event Center, an 86-69 win over Albertson (Idaho) on Dec. 20, 2000.
"We didn't turn the ball over and we made free throws down the stretch, and that's what it takes to win those types of games," said Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie, who was the starting center for the 2000-01 Cougars who previously set the free throw percentage benchmark.
After surrendering a quick layup to PLNU's Hayden Lescault to tie the game at 52-52 with 10:50 remaining, the Cougars clamped down defensively and put together a 19-6 run in a stretch which lasted into the final minute of the game. By the time the clock ticked under a minute left, Point Loma had made only one-of-12 shots, a three-pointer, and the Cougars rebounded 10 of the Sea Lions' 11 misses.
"How we defended to close it out was what won that game," Leslie said. "We're a really good team when we defend and communicate, and it's what we hang our hat on. We're smart and we're tough, and those are the things that come out on the defensive side of the ball.
Azusa Pacific scored the first seven points out of halftime, part of a 14-5 run that turned a 35-30 halftime deficit into a 44-40 advantage five minutes into the second half. After the teams traded three-pointers, PLNU regained a one-point lead at 48-47 on a Sam Okhotin three and again at 50-49 on Zach Burnham's putback with 12:05 left. Sandoval responded with a three-pointer, his second of the game, to push the Cougars back in front at 52-50 before Lescault knotted the game on the ensuing possession.
Katuala's season- and career-high 10 rebounds led Azusa Pacific to a 37-28 edge in rebounds, and the Cougars bounced back from an 0-for-7 first half of three-point shooting to hit six-of-10 three-pointers after halftime. Leaf was three-of-four from long range in the second half, and Sandoval added two threes to help him to his second-highest scoring output of the year.
"We left a lot of points on the board with missed shots, but I don't care as long as we keep guarding the way we did," Leslie said. "Our players thought this was a put-up-or-shut-up game for us, because Point Loma is smart and they don't beat themselves. They really made us work tonight, and we had to go out and make it happen. Getting a sweep against Point Loma in the regular season is an accomplishment, and I have a ton of respect for their players and coaching staff."
With the regular-season sweep of Point Loma in hand, Azusa Pacific enters the second half of the PacWest schedule with a chance to avenge its only conference loss when Dixie State visits the Felix Event Center for a 3 p.m. matchup. Last Saturday, the Cougars dropped a 97-91 decision in overtime in St. George, Utah, and Dixie State remains the only PacWest program Azusa Pacific has never beaten.
