AZUSA, Calif. -- Six players scored in double figures to lead Azusa Pacific to an 87-38 win over Notre Dame de Namur Saturday afternoon at the Felix Event Center, and Terrence Becvar led the way with a career-high 15 points on a perfect five-for-five three-point shooting performance.
Becvar, who was three-for-three from beyond the arc in Thursday's win over Holy Names, extended his perfect long-distance shooting percentage through the first two games of PacWest play. As a team, the Cougars shot 55 percent (17-for-31) on three-pointers, with Ben Taufahema adding a four-for-four performance from long range.
The Cougars led by 20 points at halftime, 47-27, then thoroughly dominated the second half by holding NDNU to 11 points on 14 percent (3-for-22) shooting from the field after intermission to roll easily to the 49-point victory.
With the win, Azusa Pacific has a three-game win streak and improves to 5-4 overall and 2-0 in PacWest play. Notre Dame de Namur is 0-8 overall and 0-2 in the PacWest.
How It Happened: The lead changed hands five times in the first nine minutes of the game, the last time on a Taufahema three with 11:06 left in the first half to give Azusa Pacific an 18-16 lead. For the next seven minutes, Notre Dame de Namur managed to score just two points, turning a one-possession game into a commanding double-digit lead for the Cougars. Taufahema sent Azusa Pacific into halftime with a 20-point lead when he knocked down a catch-and-shoot corner trey on an inbounds pass with eight-tenths of a second left.
Early in the second half, Cass Matheis and Ty Peacock scored less than 20 seconds apart to cut Azusa Pacific's lead to 52-31 with 17:02 left in the game, but the Argonauts wouldn't score again from the field until their final possession of the game with 20 seconds left. The only points allowed in that 16-minute, 42-second stretch were five free throws as the Cougars led by as many as 51 points while outscoring NDNU by a 40-11 margin in the second half.
Turning Point: Becvar and Taufahema scored three-pointers on consecutive possessions midway through the first half, helping the Cougars take the lead for good with a 14-2 run, and the same pair knocked down threes in the final minute of the first half to provide a 20-point cushion heading into halftime.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Becvar led all scorers with his career-high 15 points, and five other Cougars joined him in reaching double figures. Taufahema and Gerritt Beetstra scored 12 points each, while Jake Spurgeon and Will Ferris notched 11 points apiece. Kanseyo scored 10 points to go with a game-high 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the year.
Notre Dame de Namur Standouts: Ty Peacock was NDNU's scoring and rebounding leader with 11 points and five rebounds. Cass Mattheis added eight points with a pair of steals.
By The Numbers: Azusa Pacific's 55 percent (17-for-31) three-point shooting percentage was higher than its percentage on two-point field goals (50 percent)… The Cougars recorded a 17-3 edge in points off turnovers, recording 12 steals while forcing NDNU into 16 turnovers… Azusa Pacific also produced significant margins in rebounding (43-27), points in the paint (28-10), second chance points (11-0), fast break scoring (16-0), and bench scoring (55-11).
What's Next: Azusa Pacific is on the road for the rest of the calendar year, taking on five PacWest opponents on the road in December starting with a Dec. 5 visit to Concordia at 7:30 p.m.
