SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- After opening the season with a three-game winning streak, Azusa Pacific suffered a 78-57 defeat at Cal State San Marcos Tuesday night for its third straight defeat as the Cougars fell back to .500 with a 3-3 overall record.

Ben Taufahema scored a team-high 13 points off the bench, and he was joined in double figures by Corey Langerveld, who added 11 points.

How It Happened: Cal State San Marcos forced 21 Azusa Pacific turnovers and held the Cougars to a 36 percent (17-for-47) shooting percentage, and Ethan Alvano scored 18 of his game-high 30 points for CSUSM in the first half to help his team secure a double-digit halftime lead. He also dished out a game-high 10 assists, and Cal State San Marcos generated a combined 39-16 scoring margin with second-chance points and points off turnovers.

Turning Point: After Azusa Pacific pulled within two points, 27-25, on a pair of Petar Kutlesic free throws with 3:10 left in the first half, Cal State San Marcos closed out the first half on a 14-2 run to take a 41-27 halftime lead. Alvano scored the first 11 points of the 14-2 run, and immediately after halftime, Alvano dished out an assist on a Dalton Soffer three-pointer to extend the lead to 44-27.

Although Cal State San Marcos led by 24 points with 8:42 to play, Azusa Pacific slashed the lead to 13 in a span of just over two minutes, with three-pointers from Darien McClain, Taufahema, and Will Ferris.

Azusa Pacific Standouts: Langerveld led Azusa Pacific in the first half with 7 of his 11 points, and Taufahema scored a team-high 13 points with a pair of three-pointers. Kutlesic scored 9 points and grabbed a game-high 7 rebounds.

Cal State San Marcos Standouts: Alvano's 30-point, 10-assist double-double led the way for CSUSM, which also got 18 points from Soffer, who hit 6-of-12 three-pointers and also led the team in rebounds with 6. Collin Host had a game-high 4 steals, helping Cal State San Marcos score 21 points off turnovers.

By The Numbers: Azusa Pacific tied Cal State San Marcos in rebounds with 34 each, with both teams coming up with identical numbers for offensive (12) and defensive (22) rebounds… However, CSUSM turned its 12 offensive boards into 18 second chance points… Azusa Pacific shot 36 percent overall but hit 46 percent (10-for-22) in the opening half… Taufahema's 13-point effort led Azusa Pacific to a 22-16 edge in bench scoring.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific meets two more non-conference foes on a neutral court at Point Loma after Thanksgiving before the schedule turns over to Pacific West Conference play on Nov. 30. On Friday, the Cougars take on Simon Fraser, a West Region opponent from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and Saturday's opponent is Davenport University, an out-of-region Division II opponent. Both games tip off at 2:00 p.m. at Golden Gym on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University.