OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- Sometimes the best defense is simply good defense.

Azusa Pacific executed its defensive game plan to near-perfection in a Tuesday night visit to Cal State San Marcos to snap CSUSM's impressive 26-game home winning streak with a 72-66 road win. The Cougars grabbed a narrow two-point halftime edge on a Connor Petersonputback in the closing seconds of the first half before holding CSUSM to just 28 percent (eight-for-29) shooting from the field in the second half.

"The story of the game for us was our defense, and that's a very good offensive team which we were able to keep from establishing a rhythm all night," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said. "Cal State San Marcos can rebound well, they're physical, and they can make shots, but we did a good job busting up their rhythm and making their shots tougher."

In the process, Azusa Pacific shut down CSUSM's leading scorer Darnell Taylor, who averaged 21 points in the first two games of the year before going scoreless in the first half Tuesday night. Taylor finally broke through in the second half for eight points, although his last three came on an uncontested three-pointer as time expired to trim Azusa Pacific's nine-point lead to a final six-point margin.

"We wanted to make sure Taylor couldn't get into a rhythm, so it was a huge key to do a team job on him tonight," Leslie said. "I'm a believer that in college basketball, players don't miss shots unless you make them, and tonight we did a good job making their shots difficult."

Peterson was one of three Cougars in double figures, adding six assists and a pair of steals to the winning effort, while sophomore Corey Langerveld hit three first-half three-pointers and finished with a team-high 14 points. Sophomore forward Petar Kutlesic added 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Cougars, who improved to 4-1 on the season including a perfect 2-0 road record.

In addition to the blue-collar defensive work, Azusa Pacific took care of its possessions with precision, committing only nine turnovers as it protected the lead it held for the entire second half. The last lead Cal State San Marcos enjoyed took just over a minute and took place midway through the opening half before Bruce English drained one of Azusa Pacific's eight first-half three-pointers to turn a one-point deficit into a 22-20 lead. Will Ward added two of his eight points before English added another two points for a 26-20 edge.

"Offensively, we did a great job protecting the ball, and every time it looked like we hit a flat spot, we had a different guy step," Leslie said. "We're starting to understand a little better who we are as a team, and the farther we get along, the better I'm able to understand how to put them in positions to succeed. I haven't really had a team like this before, in terms of the many ways we can score, so it's been good for me to get into the film and make sure we have certain combinations in the game that suit the personnel."

The lead went into double digits for the first time with 8:01 left, as Ward sparked a 7-0 run which resulted in a 59-49 lead with 8:01 to play. The Cougars also enjoyed two 11-point leads around the four-minute mark, courtesy of back-to-back Kutlesic layups. CSUSM got as close as five points in the final minute, but Azusa Pacific knocked down five-of-eight free throws in the final minute to clinch the win.

Azusa Pacific returns to action at home against Young Harris College (Ga.) on Friday, Nov. 27, at 7:30 p.m., and the Cougars launch directly into Pacific West Conference play next week with a Thursday (Dec. 3) visit to Point Loma before No. 4-ranked California Baptist visits the Felix Event Center on Saturday, Dec. 5.