SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific wrapped up the non-conference portion of the schedule with a .500 record, falling to Davenport (Mich.), 73-58, Saturday afternoon at the PLNU Thanksgiving Classic.
Petar Kutlesic led the way, scoring a team-high 20 points with 6 rebounds, but after a 14-point first half he was limited to 6 points on 3 shots in the second half.
With the defeat, Azusa Pacific fell to 4-4 overall heading into Pacific West Conference play.
How It Happened: With three Kutlesic baskets in the paint, followed by a Will Ferris trey, the Cougars jumped out to an early 9-3 lead to start the game. After briefly trailing midway through the opening half, Ferris scored 5 points in a 12-2 run to regain the lead, 25-18, with 6:46 left in the first half. However, Davenport finished the second half with a 13-5 run to take a 39-34 halftime lead.
In the second half, the Cougars hit just 8-of-25 from the field (32 percent), including an 0-for-16 clip from three-point range. Davenport took advantage, opening up a double-digit lead for nearly six minutes in the second half before Azusa Pacific rallied to within five points with 4:19 to play.
Turning Point: Despite its second-half shooting struggles, Azusa Pacific fought back from a 16-point deficit with just under 12 minutes to play to cut the lead to five, 59-54, on a Kutlesic layup with 4:19 to play. In all, it was a 15-4 run encompassing nearly eight minutes of action before Davenport scored 14 of the final 18 points down the stretch to put the game away. The Panthers made 8-of-9 free throws in the final 1:20 of the game, turning an 8-point game at that point into the final 15-point margin.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Kutlesic led Azusa Pacific in scoring with his first 20-point game of the season, hitting 7-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Ferris was the only other Cougar in double figures, scoring 10 points while tying Kutlesic for the team-high in rebounds with six. Selom Mawugbe registered three of his team's five blocked shots, and Darien McClain finished with 9 points and a game-high 4 assists before he fouled out with less than a minute remaining in the game.
Davenport Standouts: Robbie Bramhill came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points, and three other Panthers reached double figures. Avery Hudson scored 18 points, and Delano Smith and Janeau Joubert added 10 points each.
By The Numbers: Davenport registered advantages in bench scoring (36-10) and points off turnovers (19-11), although Azusa Pacific posted a 35-34 rebounding edge and outscored the Panthers in the paint by a 32-24 margin… The teams were even in second chance points, scoring 8 each… After shooting 44 percent (11-for-25) overall in the first half, the Cougars went cold from three-point range, going 0-for-16 from beyond the arc after halftime to drop to 38 percent (19-for-50) overall for the game… On two-point attempts in the second half, Azusa Pacific was 8-for-9… The shooting woes extended to both teams, as Davenport was also held without a second-half trey, going 0-for-5 on three-pointers.
What's Next: The Cougars kick off Pacific West Conference play with consecutive home games, taking on Academy of Art on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. before hosting Point Loma on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 3:00 p.m.
