AZUSA, Calif. -- Jared Zoller answered 232 days of questions in a matter of 22 seconds when he scored the opening basket of Azusa Pacific's 85-65 season-opening win over Cal State San Bernardino Friday night at the Felix Event Center.

The Cougars graduated all five starters from last year's West Region championship team, leading many to wonder how quickly the program could rebuild and contend for another regional title after last year's NCAA Division II Elite Eight run.

Zoller's quick bucket in the opening minute helped him start with 18 first-half points in a game-high 21-point effort. He hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions late in the first half, sparking a 13-4 run that pushed Azusa Pacific's halftime lead to 43-30 before the Cougars expanded the lead to as many as 25 points in the second half.

"Jared was fantastic in the first half, and the thing I was most pleased with in this game was how our veteran players did the little things that settled us down and allowed us to get points and stops," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said.

Senior guard LyDell Cardwell drilled a three-pointer on the opening second-half possession, sparking an 18-6 run that extended the lead to 61-36 with 15:15 left in the game. Cal State San Bernardino got back within 14 points, 68-54, on a Zeke DeBlase trey with just over eight minutes to play, but Cardwell answered with another of his four triples, and the Cougars closed out the win with a 10-4 margin over the final five minutes of the game.

"I was very pleased with the way we started the second half, and this is a smart team which should be able to make adjustments effectively as games go on," Leslie said. "We competed on the defensive side, and when we do that we score points, too."

Cardwell finished with 14 points, and sophomore Corey Langerveld returned from a redshirt season with 10 points on four-of-five shooting from the field to help lead Azusa Pacific to the victory. Five others scored at least six points, including redshirt freshman point guard Connor Peterson, who tallied seven points, six rebounds, and five assists in his collegiate debut.

"Jared and LyDell were making shots, but all 10 guys who played contributed significantly," Leslie said. "We had some spots where guys just had to make shots, and as much as I'd love to say that's coaching, it's not. These guys put in their work outside of practice, and they made the shots that really got us rolling."

Cal State San Bernardino was led by a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double from Phil Reed, and DeBlase led the Coyotes in scoring with 16 points.

All 10 Cougars who played registered points and rebounds, contributing to a 56 percent (30-for-54) shooting performance and a 38-30 rebounding edge over Cal State San Bernardino, which was picked to finish fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association preseason coaches poll. Sophomore Petar Kutlesic was Azusa Pacific's leading rebounder, hauling in nine boards.

"The fact that we rebounded so well against a bigger team was encouraging, and they missed a lot of three-pointers which can be hard to rebound," Leslie said. "I'm proud of this win, because we had some growth on the defensive side in that area, and we also contested their shots and made them miss."

Azusa Pacific has won 14 of its past 15 season openers dating back to the 2001-02 season, and the Cougars host Cal Poly Pomona in the second day of Cougar Classic action Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.

2015 COUGAR CLASSIC SCHEDULE & SCORES

Game 1 (Friday, Nov. 13): Cal Poly Pomona 84, Notre Dame de Namur 46
Game 2 (Friday, Nov. 13): Azusa Pacific 85, Cal State San Bernardino 65
Game 3 (Saturday, Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m.): Notre Dame de Namur vs. Cal State San Bernardino
Game 4 (Saturday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m.): Azusa Pacific vs. Cal Poly Pomona