HONOLULU -- Azusa Pacific's hot shooting touch followed the Cougars all the way to the Hawaiian Islands, as the Cougars shot over 50 percent from the field for the fourth straight game to open its three-game Hawai'i road trip with an impressive 80-64 win over No. 20-ranked Chaminade Monday night.
The current four-game win streak ties Azusa Pacific's longest of the season, and the Cougars have shot over 50 percent from the floor in all four games of the current streak.
Will Ferris scored a team-high 18 points to lead a group of five players in double figures for Azusa Pacific, which took the lead for good when Ferris scored the first 13 points of an 18-2 run that helped build a 40-27 halftime lead. The Cougars led by as many as 19 and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the entire second half.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 13-8 overall and 10-4 in PacWest play. Chaminade, which won its first 10 games to start the season but is now .500 (4-4) over its past eight games, fell to 14-4 overall and 8-4 in the PacWest.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific forced 10 Chaminade turnovers and shot 52 percent (15-for-29) from the floor in the first half, and the result was a 40-27 halftime margin. Ferris scored 13 of his 18 in the first half, and all 13 of them came consecutively to spark the Cougars' late run in the first half.
The Cougars shot an identical 52 percent (15-for-29) from the floor in the second half, and they also protected their lead by taking care of the basketball. Azusa Pacific also committed just three turnovers after halftime, a crucial factor in maintaining a lead of at least 10 points for the whole second half.
Turning Point: Neither team led by more than four points in the first half until Ferris drained back-to-back three-pointers, part of an 18-2 run late in the first half during which Ferris scored 13 straight points for the Cougars. A layup with just under four minutes to go in the half pushed the lead to 35-25, and Azusa Pacific led by at least that much the rest of the game.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Ferris scored a team-high 18 points, and Darien McClain added 16 points with 5 assists to help lead a balanced offensive effort from the Cougars. Jake Spurgeon scored 13 points, his third straight game in double figures, while Selom Mawugbe and Ben Taufahema added 11 points each. Noah Bundrant dished out a game-high 6 assists and grabbed 2 steals.
Chaminade Standouts: Tyler Cartaino led all scorers with 21 points, while Jake Hutchings (11 points), Grant Dressler (10 points), and Erik Scheive (10 points) also contributed double figures for the Silverswords.
By The Numbers: Azusa Pacific shot over 50 percent for the fourth straight game, and sixth time in the past seven… The Cougars matched their season-high win streak with their fourth straight victory and eighth in the past 10 games… Not only did Azusa Pacific finish with identical shooting percentages in the first and second half, so did Chaminade, as the Silverswords hit 40 percent (10-for-25) in the first half before matching it with a 12-for-30 effort from the floor after halftime… Although Azusa Pacific had 11 turnovers to Chaminade's 13, the Cougars took full advantage by finishing with a 20-6 edge in points off turnovers.
What's Next: Azusa Pacific's continues a stretch of three games in five days in Hawai'i with a Wednesday visit to Hawai'i Pacific on Wednesday, Jan. 30.
