SEATTLE, Wash. -- Junior forward Joey Schreiber made himself at home Friday night, leading Azusa Pacific to an 82-63 win over Montana State Billings with a season-high 24 points in the opening game of the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic hosted by Seattle Pacific University.

Schreiber, who hails from the Seattle suburb of Renton, made nine-of-14 shots, including six-of-eight on three-pointers, and he added nine rebounds to lead the Cougars to a 47-40 team rebounding edge over the Yellowjackets. The junior transfer played his first two collegiate seasons at Western Washington, and last year Schreiber averaged 24 points in a pair of meetings with MSU Billings, including a career-high 38-point effort last January.

"Joey is ready for this kind of breakout, because he's a great player who's been working hard and learning how we do things," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said. "He not only shot the ball well and played with a lot of confidence, he rebounded and found a variety of ways to impact the game."

The Cougars' second-leading scorer in the victory was another Washington native, as sophomore Corey Langerveld added 14 points and six rebounds. Langerveld was Washington's Class 2A State Player of the Year and led Pullman High School to a state title in 2013. Langerveld and senior guard Bruce English both stepped into starting positions for Azusa Pacific, which was missing two starters Friday night, and English also went for double figures, scoring 13 points on six-of-11 shooting from the field.

"Coming into this game shorthanded, we needed some players to fill in some different spots and roles, and we had a bit of an adjustment period to start the game," said Leslie, "but once they got going, we were able to get some separation."

Senior guard LyDell Cardwell added 12 points, and Azusa Pacific's frontcourt trio of Petar Kutlesic, Will Ward, and Austin Dyer not only led the Cougars' rebounding edge with a combined 21 boards, they also helped keep the offense running smoothly as the trio dished out a combined 13 of the team's 21 assists. Kutlesic led the rebounding effort with 12, adding seven points and a game-high six assists to go with two blocks and a steal.

"Petar, Will, and Austin were great facilitators and decision makers, and they helped us get a lot of easy shots," Leslie said.

After MSU Billings took a 14-12 lead, just its second of the game, Azusa Pacific answered with a Langerveld trey just 11 seconds later to spark a 13-0 run that gave the Cougars their first double-digit lead of the game, 25-14, with 8:04 left in the first half. Another MSU Billings three-pointer with 2:30 left in the half pulled the Yellowjackets within five, but Schreiber answered with a three to help the Cougars score eight of the final 11 points in the half for a 43-33 halftime lead.

The Cougars outscored MSU Billings by another 10 points in the first six minutes of the second half, opening with a 17-7 run which featured six different players scoring in the outburst to extend the lead to 60-40. Azusa Pacific's largest lead was the product of a 16-7 run later in the second half, as a Schreiber three with 3:01 left pushed the lead to 81-55.

With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 7-2 overall heading into a matchup with Seattle Pacific, which was a semifinalist at last year's NCAA Division II West Regional tournament hosted by the Cougars.

"Going into tomorrow down a couple guys, it's going to take a great team effort from who we have here because Seattle Pacific is a good, deep team," Leslie said. "We'll have to play our best game to beat them on their home floor."

After Saturday's 7 p.m. matchup against Seattle Pacific, which is ranked No. 13 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll, Azusa Pacific wraps up the calendar year by returning to Pacific West Conference play with a Dec. 19 visit to Dixie State University in St. George, Utah.