IRVINE, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific renewed its conference rivalry with Concordia with an 80-72 win in the schools' first meeting as Pacific West Conference rivals Tuesday night at CU Arena. The victory was the Cougars' first road win over the Eagles since 2010, and it knocked Concordia off its early perch atop the PacWest standings with their first PacWest defeat of the year.

With the win, Azusa Pacific becomes one of four PacWest teams who share the top of the standings with one conference loss, improving to 9-3 overall and 3-1 in the PacWest while Concordia is now 10-2 overall with a 3-1 conference mark.

"To win on the road, you have to defend and rebound, and even though it wasn't pretty, our guys did a good job of competing in the details," Azusa Pacific head coach Justin Leslie said. "Nobody pressures like Concordia, nobody brings defensive energy like them, and they don't let you play how you want to play. We had a few more turnovers than we would have liked tonight, but 14 turnovers is low by Concordia standards."

Sophomore forward Corey Langerveld led all scorers with a career-high 18 points, including five-of-six three-pointers as Azusa Pacific drilled its first six threes of the game and finished 12-of-19 (63 percent) from long range. Defensively, the Cougars held Concordia, the PacWest's second-best three-point shooting team, to an eight-for-25 (32 percent) clip from three-point range; the Eagles' 72 points were 13.6 points below its season scoring average, which ranked fourth in the PacWest entering the game.

"Valuing the ball was important, because we knew we had guys who were capable of hitting shots and making plays," Leslie said. "We've been a good defensive team all year, and I think that's something we can continue to hang our hat on. I'd like to see us continue to hold ourselves to a high standard on the defensive side."

Azusa Pacific knocked down its first six three-pointers of the game and jumped out to a 24-13 lead when Joey Schreiber connected from long range with 11:23 left in the first half. Langerveld led all first-half scorers with 10 points, hitting all three of the three-pointers he attempted to help the Cougars take a 37-34 edge into the break.

"When the ball goes in the basket, it's amazing what it does for your energy and confidence," Leslie said. "I was very pleased with the way we started, because we had to establish how we were going to play this game. We showed poise in handling their pressure, and I thought that was a sign of growth for us."

Redshirt freshman Connor Peterson returned to the lineup for the first time since Azusa Pacific's Dec. 5 win over California Baptist, and he sparked a 19-7 second-half run when he hit a pull-up jumper with 15:25 remaining. He grabbed a long rebound at the other end and ledJared Zoller to a quick layup in transition and added a pair of free throws to contribute to the first six points of the run, which turned a three-point edge into a commanding 63-48 margin with 8:16 to play. Peterson finished with seven points and four assists in his first game back.

"We've had some adversity and injuries, and it's forced some guys to play out of position and changed our rotations," Leslie said. "I'm excited to get our team back together, because that put our team in situations where we've been forced to improve and build our depth."

Langerveld's fourth three-pointer of the game came in the midst of that run, pushing the lead into double digits at 55-45, and Petar Kutlesic and LyDell Cardwell capped the run with back-to-back three-pointers that extended the lead to 15 points. Another Langerveld triple gave Azusa Pacific a 71-57 lead with 3:25 to play, but Concordia chopped the lead in half with a 9-2 run to pull within seven, 73-66, with 1:34 remaining.

Senior guard Bruce English answered with a pair of free throws with 1:25 to play, and the Cougars scored their final seven points of the win at the free throw line. Kutlesic finished with 13 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while English, Schreiber, and Zoller added nine points each.

Azusa Pacific shot 26-of-48 (54 percent) from the field, including the 12-of-19 (63 percent) clip from three-point range, and the Cougars posted a 36-28 rebounding edge over Concordia. The Eagles were led by Stephen Grosey's team-highs of 15 points and six rebounds.

After playing three of its first four PacWest games on the road, Azusa Pacific is home for three of its next four, starting with home games against Dixie State Thursday (Jan. 7) and Chaminade Saturday (Jan. 9).