AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific revved up the offense in the second half of an 85-68 win over Concordia Saturday night, scoring 52 points while shooting over 70 percent in the second half to pull away for the win, which was the Eagles' first PacWest defeat of the year.

Darien McClain led all scorers with a season-high 26 points, one of four Cougars in double figures, as Azusa Pacific shot 60 percent (31-for-52) from the field including a 58 percent (11-for-19) clip from three-point range.

McClain scored 21 of his 26 in the second half, and Azusa Pacific's offense followed suit, hitting 17-of-24 (71 percent) overall after halftime including 7-of-10 from long distance.

The Cougars scored the final 10 points of the first half, erasing a six-point deficit for a 33-29 halftime edge. Four minutes into the second half, McClain broke a 40-40 tie by sparking a 17-2 run that gave Azusa Pacific the lead for good.

With the win, the Cougars improve to 9-6 overall and 6-2 in PacWest play, while Concordia falls to 11-6 overall, 7-1 PacWest.

How It Happened: Azusa Pacific jumped out to an early 11-2 lead in the opening half, but the lead changed hands four times with Concordia taking its largest lead at 29-23 on a Brian Chambers three with 3:42 left in the half. The Eagles went scoreless for the rest of the half, however, as Ben Taufahema immediately answered with a quick three at the other end to spark a 10-0 run to close out the half and give the Cougars a 33-29 lead.

Concordia tied the game twice in the first four minutes of the second half, the last time at 40-40 with 16:06 to play, before Azusa Pacific went on a 17-2 run by scoring on seven consecutive possessions to take a 57-42 lead with 12:33 to play. Although the Cougars went scoreless over the next four minutes, Concordia could only pull within eight points, 57-49, before Taufahema drained two more three-pointers in a 13-3 run that extended the lead to 70-52 with 5:46 to play. The Cougars led by 22 points in the final minute of the game before settling for the 85-68 final margin.

Turning Point: A three-possession sequence in the midst of the Cougars' 17-2 second-half run encapsulated the Cougars' impressive second-half performance. With a 42-40 lead, Will Ferris pulled down an offensive rebound and dished to McClain for a three-pointer, and Selom Mawugbe blocked a Brian Chambers jumper at the other end for a successful defensive stop. Taufahema capitalized with another three-pointer to extend the lead to 48-40, and the Cougars widened the lead by another seven points to take a 57-42 edge.

Azusa Pacific Standouts: McClain produced season-highs in both points (26) and assists (7), while Taufahema also registered a season scoring high (17 points) and Jake Spurgeon pulled down a season-high eight rebounds while adding eight points. Mawugbe, Azusa Pacific's career leader in blocked shots, registered six blocks while contributing 16 points and nine rebounds. Ferris finished with 11 points and four assists, and Tyson Kanseyo grabbed seven rebounds in 12 minutes of action off the bench.

Concordia Standouts: Jamel White led the Eagles in scoring with 20 points, hitting 7-of-13 from the field including three-of-six three-pointers, and Brian Chambers added 16 points. Robert Taylor was Concordia's leading rebounder, grabbing seven boards while scoring seven.

By The Numbers: Azusa Pacific's shooting percentages of 59.6 percent (field goal), 57.9 percent (three-pointers), and 92.3 percent (free throws) were all season-highs (games with at least 10 free throws)… The Cougars' 85-point output was its second highest of the year, just behind 87 points against Notre Dame de Namur (Dec. 1)… The 52 second-half points was a season-best for scoring in one half, and the plus-16 rebounding margin (42-26) for the game tied the Cougars' season-best… Concordia forced 17 turnovers, leading to a 22-10 advantage in points off turnovers, and the Eagles also registered a 16-11 edge in second chance points… Mawugbe's six-block performance was his ninth game with at least four blocks this season… The Cougars held the lead for over 30 minutes in the contest.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific remains home to take on PacWest-leading Point Loma, which defeated the Cougars in San Diego, 69-54 (Dec. 8) and has since improved to 12-2 overall (8-0 PacWest) with an eight-game winning streak.

Quotable: "The biggest difference tonight was our offensive efficiency. We worked hard this week on every fundamental of getting into the paint and shot selection, and we didn't get as many looks because we turned the ball over, but we got the shots that we're good at. We got layups at the rim, post ups going right at them in the area we could draw some fouls and finish, and we got a lot of inside out three-pointers." -- Head coach Justin Leslie

"The difference between this game and the last time we played Concordia came down to execution. At their place, we were a little bit rattled and off our spots, and we really didn't play like us. Today we were focused on being strong with the ball and having a purpose with everything we did. We wanted to jump on them first and control the game, and that came down to execution and intensity." -- Senior guard Darien McClain

"We put everything together in practice this week, and it really showed in the game. Everybody was hitting shots, and that spread the court out and gave me opportunities to get to the rim. The team production was a real key to my success tonight, and it was great to have everybody on the same page." -- McClain