SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit with an 18-2 run in the first five minutes of the second half to pull away for a 66-56 win over Simon Fraser Friday afternoon at the Point Loma Thanksgiving Classic.
Will Ferris hit two three-pointers and Darien McClain scored five points during the stretch, as the Cougars roared back from a 35-27 halftime deficit to take a 45-37 lead with 15:01 remaining in the game. Midway through the half, Simon Fraser got within two points, but Corey Langerveld answered with another three, and Azusa Pacific maintained a two-possession lead the rest of the way.
McClain led the Cougars with 14 points, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line in the second half to help maintain the lead down the stretch. With the victory, Azusa Pacific improved to 4-3 overall, snapping a three-game skid to hand Simon Fraser its first defeat of the season.
How It Happened: Ferris energized the Cougar offense with a three-pointer to open the second-half scoring, erasing a 2-for-14 team shooting percentage from three-point range in the first half. Langerveld's three-pointer with 16:45 left gave Azusa Pacific its first lead of the second half, 38-37, and Ferris followed with another three after a steal, continuing a run of 15 consecutive points which concluded with baskets from McClain and Selom Mawugbe. The flurry gave the Cougars a 45-37 advantage, and they led the rest of the way.
Azusa Pacific committed just two turnovers after halftime, posting a 10-0 second-half margin in points off turnovers. Defensively, the Cougars held Simon Fraser below 30 percent shooting after halftime, as the Clan went from 45 percent shooting (14-for-31) in the first half to 29 percent (9-for-31) in the second half.
Turning Point: After Ferris cut Simon Fraser's lead to 35-30 with his three-pointer to open the second half, Tyrell Lewin answered with a jumper in the paint to extend the lead to 37-30. Petar Kutlesic got the offensive rebound and putback on the ensuing possession, sparking the Cougars to 15 consecutive points as they took the lead for good. After Kutlesic's putback, McClain was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three free throws to cut the lead to 37-35. Langerveld followed with his triple, giving the Cougars their first lead since a one-point edge with 5:53 left in the opening half.
When Simon Fraser battled back within two points, 46-44, with 9:48 left, Langerveld knocked down another three-pointer, extending the lead to 49-44, and Kutlesic added another reward for his work on the offensive glass, putting down another putback to push the lead to 51-44. Simon Fraser never got closer than 4 points the rest of the way.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: McClain was the scoring leader in the game, finishing with 14 points, but led the Cougars' second-half rally, collecting 7 of his 9 points and 8 of his game-high 12 rebounds after halftime. McClain and Langerveld scored 9 points each after halftime, leading Azusa Pacific to a commanding 39-21 second-half scoring margin.
Ferris finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds, while Kutlesic posted 9 points with a game-high 12 rebounds. Langerveld scored 11 points, and Mawugbe contributed 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal.
Simon Fraser Standouts: Michael Provenzano led all scorers with 24 points, and Kedar Salam added 16 points for the Clan. However, the rest of SFU's roster scored a combined 16 points, with no other player scoring more than 6. J.J. Pankratz scored 6 points and led SFU in rebounds with 10.
By The Numbers: Azusa Pacific finished with a 14-8 edge in points off turnovers, and the Cougar bench outscored SFU's reserved by a 14-4 margin. The Cougars finished with a 40-39 edge in rebounds, and after 10 first-half turnovers, Azusa Pacific committed just 2 more the rest of the way.
What's Next: Non-conference play concludes on Saturday when the Cougars take on Davenport (Mich.) University, an NCAA Division II program from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, at the PLNU Thanksgiving Classic in San Diego.
