ST. GEORGE, Utah -- Azusa Pacific rallied down the stretch, finishing off Saturday's visit to Dixie State University with a 16-5 run to claim a crucial 72-65 Pacific West Conference road win over the Red Storm to wrap up the calendar year. With the win, the Cougars emerge from a treacherous early-season schedule with an 8-3 overall record and a 2-1 conference mark heading into a two-week break from game action.

"The good thing is that we're still in the mix, and we are in position to control our own destiny the rest of the way," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said. "We're very fortunate to be where we are, because we're still green and inexperienced, and getting that experience under our belt is going to be a process we have to embrace. We also have to get healthy, and having this break to get some guys back and healthy again will help us get back to full strength and allow us to be deeper and more relentless."

Azusa Pacific's impressive closing performance erased a four-point Dixie State lead with less than four minutes left in the game, and it started with a three-possession run of consecutive three-pointers from Bruce English, LyDell Cardwell, and Petar Kutlesic. The Kutlesic three snapped a 62-62 tie with 2:10 left, and the Cougars maintained the lead the rest of the way.

After the teams traded free throws, Dixie State's Josh Fuller missed one-of-two from the line with under a minute to play to pull the Red Storm within two at 67-65. The Cougars used up most of the shot clock before Cardwell missed a three-pointer, but junior forward Joey Schreiber picked up the miss and converted a three-point play on the putback to extend the margin to 70-65 with 17.9 seconds left in the game.

The Cougars, who only converted six-of-10 free throws up to that point, made five-of-five from the line in the final 1:30 including Schreiber's free throw to complete the three-point play that put the game out of reach.

"This was a pretty impressive display of grit and toughness down the stretch," Leslie said. "We had to make shots, and we did. As a game develops, you get a rhythm and a sense for what the other team is willing to give up, and we had to recognize what they were giving us. Guys stepped up and made some shots, and Bruce's three-pointer jumpstarted the whole thing."

Azusa Pacific had four players who scored in double figures, led by Schreiber's 18-point effort off the bench. Sophomore forward Corey Langerveld added 14 points and five rebounds, and he was a perfect four-for-four on free throws in the final 1:30. English scored all 12 of his points on three-pointers, hitting four-of-seven attempts from distance, and Cardwell added 10 points along with a team-high five assists.

With eight minutes left in the first half, the Cougars broke a 20-20 tie with a 13-3 run, holding Dixie State without a field goal over a stretch which lasted over seven minutes. A Zac Hunter jumper in the final minute of the half ended the Red Storm field goal drought, but Azusa Pacific took a 35-28 edge into halftime.

However, after a Schreiber jumper two minutes into the second half gave the Cougars a 40-31 lead, Azusa Pacific went scoreless for the next five-plus minutes. Dixie State capitalized, scoring 13 straight to regain the lead, 43-40, with 12:44 left. Junior forward Will Ward snapped the scoreless stretch with a layup assisted by Schreiber, and an Austin Dyer three-pointer midway through the second half gave the Cougars a 47-45 edge.

The Cougars held Dixie State to 22-of-57 (.386) shooting from the field, including a two-of-10 (.200) clip from three-point range. Meanwhile, Azusa Pacific's depth provided a 25-11 advantage in bench scoring.

The PacWest schedule resumes after New Year's, starting with a Jan. 5 visit to first-year PacWest member Concordia before the Cougars host Dixie State (Jan. 7) and Chaminade (Jan. 9).