FRESNO, Calif. -- Less than 48 hours after a Saturday night defeat to No. 24-ranked California Baptist, Azusa Pacific bounced back with an 83-67 road win at Fresno Pacific to maintain a share of the Pacific West Conference lead.
The victory kicks off a busy three-game week for the Cougars, who host Hawaii Pacific on Thursday, Jan. 18 before visiting Point Loma on another short turnaround Saturday afternoon. Azusa Pacific improved to 12-6 overall and 8-2 in PacWest play at the halfway point of the 20-game conference schedule.
Darien McClain led all scorers with 21 points, hitting 5-of-11 three-pointers and 6-for-6 at the free throw line, and he added a game-high 5 assists to help set up three other double-figure scorers for the Cougars. Azusa Pacific posted a 49-36 rebounding edge over the Sunbirds, with three Cougars hitting double figures in rebounds, as well.
After the lead changed hands 12 times in the first half, Azusa Pacific took a 39-35 halftime lead and never trailed again. The Cougars finished the game with a 26-12 run over the final 10 minutes to put the game away.
How It Happened: Although the lead changed hands 12 times in the first half, Azusa Pacific never trailed by more than 5 points, taking the lead for good on a Mandrell Worthy layup to finish a fast-break opportunity with 2:55 left in the first half. The Cougars then withstood a five-minute scoring drought midway through the second half, surrendering just five points during the same five-minute span. With a pair of McClain free throws, the Cougars scored on four consecutive possessions and began putting some distance on the host Sunbirds. After hitting just 36 percent (15-for-42) in the first half, Azusa Pacific improved to 50 percent (12-for-24) after halftime, all while holding Fresno Pacific to a 37 percent (23-for-63) overall shooting clip for the game.
Turning Point: After Fresno Pacific regained a two-point lead on a Toby Christensen three-pointer with 3:36 left in the first half, the Cougars came up with five consecutive defensive stops after Noah Bundrant made a layup to tie the game at 32-32 just 16 seconds later. After Worthy's layup and McClain's first three-point make on consecutive possessions, Bundrant finished off the 9-0 burst with another layup assisted by Corey Langerveld to give Azusa Pacific a 39-32 lead with 1:15 remaining before halftime. Although Fresno Pacific finished the first half with a Jake Straughan three and started the second half with another triple from Toby Christensen, the Cougars never trailed again. McClain answered three Fresno Pacific three-pointers to start the second half with a trio of treys himself to maintain the four-point margin before Selom Mawugbe threw down a dunk with 16:57 left in the game to extend the lead to six, 50-44.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: McClain led all scorers with 21 points, hitting 4-of-5 second-half three-pointers as he scored 18 of his 21 after halftime. Worthy scored 10 points in the first half and finished with 18, and Petar Kutlesic (10 points, 13 rebounds) and Langerveld (14 points, 10 rebounds) each registered double-doubles. Mawugbe also posted double-digit rebounds, grabbing 12 boards while notching 4 blocks and 2 steals.
Fresno Pacific Standouts: Adrian Antunez led the Sunbirds with 19 points, scoring 13 in the second half, and he added a team-high 4 steals to lead FPU's defensive effort. Toby Christensen notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Jake Straughan scored all 11 of his points in the back-and-forth first half.
By The Numbers: Azusa Pacific has held its opponent to a shooting percentage below 40 percent for the ninth time in 18 games this season, as Fresno Pacific finished 23-for-63 (36.5 percent) from the field… The Cougars' 49 rebounds tied for its second-highest single-game total of the season, and the 49-36 rebounding margin tied for the third-largest margin on the boards this year… McClain's 21-point effort marked his sixth time scoring more than 20 points, and Worthy has scored 18 or more in four straight games… Ben Taufahema has hit two three-pointers in four consecutive games (and 5 of the last 6)… Kutlesic has four double-doubles on the season, all in PacWest play… Mawugbe entered the game ranked 11th in Division II in blocked shots, and his 4-block performance Monday was his seventh game with at least four blocked shots… Azusa Pacific posted a 30-20 edge in points in the paint and a 13-5 advantage in second chance points.
What's Next: Azusa Pacific returns home briefly before going back on the road to wrap up a stretch of four games in just eight days. The Cougars host Hawai'i Pacific on Thursday, Jan. 18, preceding a Saturday afternoon visit to Point Loma on Jan. 20.
