IRVINE, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific's second-half rally fell short in a 69-65 defeat to Chaminade in the first round of the Pacific West Conference Tournament Thursday night.
The Cougars rallied from 11 points down with less than five minutes to play, scoring nine straight points to pull within two, 67-65, with less than a minute to play, but Sam Daly ended the four-minute scoring drought for Chaminade with a short jumper off the glass with 31 seconds left to give the Silverswords some breathing room.
After Kiran Shastri hit a three-pointer with 4:44 left to push Chaminade in front, 67-56, Petar Kutlesic answered with a three-pointer from the corner to start the Cougars' 9-0 run. Kutlesic worked in the low post for a layup on the next possession that cut lead to 67-61, and Corey Langerveld came back with two more points in the paint with 2:51 left to make it a four-point game.
Justin Byrd made a pair of free throws with just under a minute left to make it a one-possession game until Daly's drive to the basket for a short jumper off the glass gave Chaminade the four-point lead with 31 seconds remaining.
Connor Peterson led all scorers with a 25-point performance, coming within two points of his career-high, and Kutlesic added a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double. Langerveld had 8 points in the first half, helping Azusa Pacific to a 35-32 halftime lead, and he finished with 12 points to go with five rebounds.
Azusa Pacific led for most of the first half, answering an early 4-0 deficit with an 11-0 run capped by a Langerveld three-pointer. The Cougars maintained the lead and expanded it to nine points later in the half, when Peterson hit a three-pointer with 3:10 left in the half to give Azusa Pacific a nine-point edge at 35-26.
Chaminade was led by 14 points each from Kiran Shastri and Sam Daly, and Austin Pope came up with 9 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. The Silverswords closed out the game by shooting 52 percent (16-for-31) from the field in the second half.
Chaminade improves to 18-10 on the year and advances to a rivalry clash in the semifinals with Hawaii Pacific. Azusa Pacific finishes the season 16-15 overall.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
