POMONA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific opened the 2021-22 season on Friday afternoon at the SODEXO Classic hosted by Cal Poly Pomona, and the Cougars fell by a 59-51 final to Chico State. 

McKelary Robertson and Allan McBride scored 13 points apiece to lead the Cougars' offensive attack. McBride, who entered this season with a total of three triples made over his first two seasons at Azusa Pacific, was 2-for-2 from beyond-the-arc. On the glass, Ken West pulled in a team-high seven rebounds.

How it Happened: With 10:53 remaining in the first half, Kevin Warren of Chico State made a layup that gave the Wildcats a 14-9 lead. It would be the only points for Chico State over the next eight minutes, as the Cougar defense would hold the Wildcats scoreless until the 2:55 mark in the first half. During that span, Azusa Pacific scored 10 points to take a 19-14 advantage. While Chico State was able to tie the score at 21-21, the Cougars would not trail over the remainder of the half, and a three-pointer from McBride with just under 40 seconds left before halftime gave Azusa Pacific its 24-21 lead which it would take into the locker room at the intermission.

Over the first 20 minutes of action, Azusa Pacific shot 40% (10-for-25) from the floor, while also knocking down three of five free throws. McBride's go-ahead triple was the Cougars' only three of the first half, as the team combined for a 1-for-10 performance.

Through the first 10 minutes of the second half, there were four lead changes and two ties, with neither team taking a lead greater than one possession. With 10:35 remaining in the contest, Chico State held a 38-26 advantage.

Turning Point: A pair of free throws from the Wildcats' Joshua Hamilton made it a two possession game for the first time in the second half, as Chico State went up 40-36. A little under a minute later, Robertson knocked down a jump shot that brought Azusa Pacific back into a one possession deficit at 42-40 (9:41). Over the next five minutes, Chico State was able to grab the momentum by taking the largest lead of the game up to that point, using an 11-2 run to claim a 51-42 lead with 4:44 left in the contest. While Azusa Pacific was able to trim the margin back down to three at 51-48 with 2:44 remaining, the Wildcats would not surrender the lead. Over the remaining two and a half minutes, the Cougars would only score on a made free throw by Trevon Ary-Turner and a Terrence Becvar layup with eight seconds left, while Chico State hit two jumpers and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the line in crunch time to close the game out for the 59-51 win.

By the Numbers: Chico State finished with a shooting percentage of 41% (24-for-58), while the Cougars finished at 34% (18-for-53). Neither team found the range from deep, with Azusa Pacific knocking down 25% (5-for-21) of its attempts, compared to 19% (3-for-16) for the Wildcats. Both teams had 14 opportunities at the charity stripe, with the Cougars finishing at 71% (10-for-14) and Chico State converting just 57% (8-for-14) of its attempts. The Wildcats finished with a huge advantage in points in the paint (38-22).