AZUSA, Calif. -- Sophomore forwards Petar Kutlesic and Austin Dyer powered Azusa Pacific to a 77-72 win over Point Loma Saturday night, avenging the Cougars' PacWest-opening overtime defeat to the Sea Lions in December.

Kutlesic led both teams with career-highs of 24 points and 16 rebounds as the 6-foot-9 sophomore made 11 of his 12 two-point field goal attempts while Dyer went nine-for-10 from the field in a 19-point effort off the bench. Their performance rescued Azusa Pacific from an uncharacteristic poor long-distance shooting night, as the Cougars knocked down only four-of-21 (19 percent) three-point attempts but sank 26-of-39 (67 percent) on inside the arc.

"We have to have the mindset that every game is a must-win," Azusa Pacific head coachJustin Leslie said. "Today we competed like we needed to find a way to win. Even though it was an ugly game and it wasn't how we wanted to play it, at this time of year it doesn't matter because you just have to find a way to win."

The victory clinched Azusa Pacific's spot in the six-team 2016 PacWest Championship Tournament in March, as the Cougars retained sole possession of second place in the conference by improving to 17-6 overall and 11-4 in the PacWest. Point Loma fell to 12-10 overall, 7-8 PacWest.

A pair of Bruce English free throws late in the first half gave Azusa Pacific a slim 35-34 halftime edge, but a Mike Planeta three-pointer gave PLNU a 49-47 lead with 14:19 left in the game. A Dyer layup helped spark a game-turning 14-4 run, which featured a conventional three-point play from Kutlesic before senior guard LyDell Cardwell drilled a three-pointer which gave the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 61-53 with just under eight minutes remaining.

English answered an Aaron Roedl trey with a three-pointer of his own to keep the margin at eight until the Sea Lions scored seven of the next eight to rally within two points, 65-63, with 4:23 remaining. Kutlesic responded with a layup assisted by Corey Langerveld, Dyer added a free throw, and junior forward Joey Schreiber sank a back-breaking three-pointer to widen the gap back to eight, 71-63, with 2:11 to play.

"Their zone was open in the middle, and my points tonight manifested from our guards," Kutlesic said. "They really passed the ball well, and even though I was the one scoring points, it was the result of a complete team effort."

The closest Point Loma got the rest of the way was three points, although it stayed a two-possession game until Roedl nailed a three-pointer with 10 seconds left in the game to cut the Cougars' lead to 75-72. Cardwell knocked down a pair of free throws with five seconds left for the final five-point winning margin.

"Win or lose, our games throughout this season have been close with a very few exceptions, and in close games, you have to find a way collectively to do what it takes to win," Leslie said. "Sometimes that's a deflection that leads to a steal or the extra pass on offense that leads to the bucket, but that's PacWest basketball. Point Loma played really well tonight, and you have to give them a lot of credit for competing. They did a fine job of making tough shots, and we just couldn't get away from them."

After scoring 15 points in the first half alone, Point Loma's freshman point guard Josh Rodriguez became the focal point of the Cougar defense, which held him to just two points in the second half. Rodriguez finished with 17 points and a game-high nine assists, and Planeta led PLNU's shorthanded six-player squad with 18 points.

"The group that came off the bench in the second half did a great job changing the energy of the game defensively," Lesile said. "That was when the tide turned and we got them playing the game we wanted it to be."

The Cougars posted a 40-29 rebounding edge and posted a 44-18 scoring advantage in the paint against Point Loma's depleted front line.

Azusa Pacific remains home to close out a season-long six-game homestand, taking on Dominican in an opportunity to avenge another PacWest road defeat on Monday night before hosting PacWest-leading Concordia next Friday.