LAIE, Hawai'i -- Azusa Pacific opened its crucial three-game road trip through Hawai'i with its second-worst shooting performance of the year in an 84-61 defeat to BYU-Hawaii, costing the Cougars control of the race for the Pacific West Conference regular-season title.

The loss kept Azusa Pacific winless in four visits to BYU-Hawaii's Cannon Activities Center since the Cougars joined the PacWest four years ago. It also gives current PacWest leader Concordia a chance to clinch the conference regular-season crown with a win Saturday at Dixie State, while Azusa Pacific must win both of its remaining visits to Chaminade and Hawai'i Hilo to remain in contention for the PacWest's regular-season title.

Azusa Pacific shot 36 percent (20-for-56) from the field, its second-lowest single-game shooting percentage of the year, and never led the game. BYU-Hawaii got three quick three-pointers from Cory Lange in the first four minutes, and Lange scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the opening half to pace the Seasiders to a 42-32 halftime advantage. Lange hit his fourth three-pointer in the first four minutes of the second half, helping BYU-Hawaii score seven straight after halftime to extend the lead to 49-32, and the Seasiders led by double digits the rest of the game.

Lange scored a game-high 26 points to finish as one of five BYU-Hawaii players to score in double figures, while freshman point guard Connor Peterson led Azusa Pacific's scoring effort with 16 points. Junior forward Joey Schreiber was the only other Cougar in double figures, adding 12 points.

With the loss, Azusa Pacific drops to 19-7 overall, 13-5 in PacWest play, while BYU-Hawaii took a significant step towards clinching a spot in next week's six-team PacWest Tournament by improving to 14-10 overall and 11-8 in the PacWest. The victory was the 500th career coaching win for BYU-Hawaii head coach Ken Wagner, who is in his 26th season as the Seasiders' head coach.