AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific dropped a tough PacWest game on Tuesday night, as the Cougars fell to Chaminade by a final of 77-75. In a game in which Azusa Pacific led from the 4:42 mark in the first half until 5:41 left in the second half, Chaminade's Grant Dressler knocked down a game-winning three-pointer with just eight seconds left to lift the Silverswords to a road win.
 
How It Happened: In many statistical categories, the two teams played a fairly even game. Azusa Pacific shot 51.8% from the floor, while Chaminade shot 44.8%. From the three-point line, the Silverswords made nine, while the Cougars knocked down eight. Neither team was able to get to the foul-line all that much, as Chaminade was 8-for-13 from the charity stripe, and Azusa Pacific was 9-for-15. Chaminade did post an advantage in one significant category, as the Silverswords forced 21 turnovers while committing just eight. Chaminade finished with 22 poinrs off of turnovers, while the Cougars scored just six points.
 
Turning Point: Though the Cougars held a 60-41 lead with 12:03 left in the game, Chaminade came storming back to steal a win on the road. Over the next seven minutes, the Silverswords used a 24-4 run to take a 65-64 lead with 5:41 left in regulation. The final five minutes of the game saw the two teams trade leads on three occasions, with neither team going up by more than four points. With 2:29 left, senior Will Ferris hit a tough pull-up jumpshot to give Azusa Pacific a 75-72 lead. Ferris' jumper would be the final points of the game for the Cougars. Chaminade would respond on the next possession, as Tyler Cartaino converted on a layup to cut the Cougar lead to 75-74 with 2:01 left. With just 30 seconds left, Azusa Pacific junior Selom Mawugbe missed a jumper that was rebounded by Dressler with 15 seconds on the clock. Dressler took the ball up court, and found himself wide open beyond the arc, where he pulled up and knocked down the shot to secure the win.
 
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Four Cougars scored in double-figures, led by Ferris' 23 points. Junior Ben Taufahema had 12 points, senior Darien McClain finished will 11 points, and Mawugbe scored 10 points, which is the 15^th consecutive game he has scored in double figures. McClain flirted with a double-double in the game, as he has eight assists to go along with his scoring. Junior Jake Spurgeon had a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
Chaminade Standouts: Chaminade had two players score over 20 points in the game, as Dressler finished with a double-double, with 29 points and 11 rebounds, and Cartaino added 22 points.
 
Up Next: Azusa Pacific drops to 16-10 overall, and now are 13-6 in PacWest play. The next game for the Cougars will be at home against Hawai'i Hilo, with tip-off set for Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m.