AZUSA, Calif. – In their final game of the regular season, the Cougars overcame a slow start to put away long-time rival Concordia-Irvine, completing the season sweep of the Eagles with an 80-74 victory Saturday evening at the CUI Arena.

Concordia, trying to improve their seeding for next week's conference tournament, came out firing, and the Cougars found themselves staring into a double-digit deficit for the first time in months, trailing 16-4 eight minutes into the game.  The reserves, namely Ken West and Terrence Becvar, would put together a 9-0 run to cut into that gap, but the Eagles answered right back with a 9-0 run of their own.  When Kayle Knuckles knocked down another jumper with 7:30 left in the first half, the Eagles had their largest lead of the night at 29-16, and one would be forgiven for thinking that the Cougars' 19-game winning streak was about to end.

But that was when the Cougars' outside shots started falling.  Ben Taufahema knocked down a three.  It was the first of six that Azusa Pacific would make over the final seven minutes of the first half, and sparked a 22-5 run that would see the Cougars reclaim the lead.  Noah Bundrant would put up 11 of those points himself, knocking down three triples.  Concordia would beat the buzzer with a three of their own to make it a one-point Cougar advantage heading into the locker room.

The second half was everything you expect out of a rivalry game, the teams trading baskets, neither side able to build a sizeable advantage at any point.  Concordia would tie the game on a couple of occasions, including at 57-57 at the 9:00-minute mark, but that was when the Cougars would clamp down on defense, keeping Concordia off the scoreboard for nearly six minutes, while Selom Mawugbe and Jake Spurgeon slowly allowed the Cougars to take control, leading a decisive 13-3 run that put the Cougars ahead for good.  A late run by Concordia would get the lead back to five, but the Cougars would make their free throws down the stretch to close things out.

"The way we won tonight was encouraging," said head coach Peter Bond, "we had to make some tough, gritty plays down the stretch, while keeping our composure and not becoming discouraged. We hung in there and it is a satisfying victory that continues to help us build towards postseason play."

Spurgeon led the Cougars in scoring with 18 points to go with 7 rebounds and 3 steals.  Mawugbe had 17 points and 5 blocks before fouling out in the final minute.  Brennan Rymer had 12 points while dishing out 9 assists and collecting 6 rebounds.  Bundrant had 5 rebounds to go with his 11 first-half points, and Ken West had 9 points and 6 boards off the bench.

The Cougars (25-3, 20-2 PacWest) end the regular season on a 20-game winning streak, one short of the program's all-time record set back in 2001.  They will have a few days now to rest up and prepare for the PacWest Tournament, where they will attempt to be the first team in tournament history to win the title on their home floor.  Additionally, Azusa Pacific will be looking to win the tournament for the first time, having reached the championship game only once before, in 2016. "All year long, this team has sought to do things that no other Cougar team has done before," said Coach Bond, "they are hungry and eager for the PacWest tournament, and they have their sights set on making history this week." Their first action will be in Friday's second semifinal at 7:30 p.m., when they take on the winner of the 4/5 matchup between Concordia and Biola.