SEATTLE, Wash. -- A slow start put Azusa Pacific behind early against No. 13-ranked Seattle Pacific, which took advantage with a 9-0 run to start the game en route to a 71-54 win over the Cougars Saturday night in the final game of SPU's Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic.

The Cougars were held to season-lows in shooting percentage, hitting 20-of-64 (.313) overall and four-of-27 (.148) on three-pointers, and the Falcons were the first team this season to outrebound Azusa Pacific by more than two rebounds in a game with a 41-35 edge on the boards.

"We couldn't get ourselves started with the early adversity of being in a tough environment, so when we missed shots early in the game and things weren't going our way, that really got us off on the wrong foot," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said. "We could never make enough shots to give us the chance to get back into the game. We were able to get good looks for good shooters, but we just didn't make them."

Senior guard Bruce English made three of the team's four three-pointers, finishing with a team-high 13 points. Sophomore forward Petar Kutlesic added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and Austin Dyer and Joey Schreiber each finished with seven points and six rebounds.

The defeat drops Azusa Pacific to 7-3 overall, while Seattle Pacific (9-1) ran its winning streak to nine games since opening the season in St. George, Utah, with an overtime defeat to first-year Pacific West Conference member Concordia. The Cougars return to action in St. George to resume PacWest play with a Dec. 19 visit to Dixie State University.

Seattle Pacific held the Cougars to just six points through the first eight minutes, building an early 17-6 lead, and the Falcons led by as many as 15 points in the first half. After facing a 34-22 halftime deficit, senior guard Bruce English knocked down a three-pointer on Azusa Pacific's first second-half possession to cut the margin to nine. However, another scoreless stretch which lasted another four-plus minutes created a 16-point deficit for the Cougars, who never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.

"We knew Seattle Pacific would be tough to beat on their floor, and beating them would require us to play our best game, which we didn't have tonight," Leslie said. "We're a good team, and we'll continue to improve and get healthy as we get ourselves prepared for the grind of the PacWest schedule."

English's three-pointer with 4:29 left in the game pulled Azusa Pacific within 13 at 63-50, but the next four Cougar possessions netted just two points on a Kutlesic putback. Meanwhile, Seattle Pacific fashioned an 8-2 run down the stretch to extinguish any hopes of a late-game rally.

Junior forward Joey Schreiber, who scored 24 points and led Azusa Pacific to an 82-63 win over Montana State Billings Friday night, was named to the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic All-Tournament Team.