LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Azusa Pacific men's basketball secured its first win of the season beating Cal State Los Angeles Tuesday 81-71. The Cougars effort on the offensive glass was the biggest difference in the game as they grabbed 18, helping them secure 21 huge second-chance points.

Azusa Pacific was led by Justin Hemsley's 20 points while freshman Hayden Gray turned in a near double-double with nine points and nine rebounds. Ken West had nine of his 13 points in the Cougars big first half while Terrence Becvar went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc including a pair in the second-half that helped fend off the Golden Eagles rally.

How it Happened: Trailing 7-6 just over four minutes into the game, the Cougars produced a pair of threes by Hemsley and Becvar which was sandwhiched between a Gray offensive rebound tip-in that provided an 8-0 run. The Cougars never relinquished the lead the rest of the way and were up as many as 16 in the first half.

Another offensive rebound provided West an opportunity for an and-one which he seized to give the Cougars a 17-10 advantage with over 12 minutes left in the first half. Gray then did a little bit of everything to keep the Cougars way out in front before the break, including racking up four offensive boards, two steals, seven points, and three assists. Cal State LA closed out the half on a 17-6 run in the final six minutes to cut the deficit to 41-34 at the break.

Turning Point: The Golden Eagles continued their momentum into the second-half with a 6-0 run to get the game within a point, 41-40. Off the bench, Becvar immediately picked up a pair of assists to put the Cougars back up 50-44. Then a trio of offensive rebounds led to two three-pointers from Becvar and another from McKelary Robertson which saw Azusa Pacific's lead grow back to double digits, 63-49 with 11 minutes left to play.

Hemsley then closed out the game for the Cougars scoring 12 of his season-high 20 in the final 10 minutes of the game to help his team pick up their first victory, 81-71.

By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific shot just 41.2% from the floor (28-68) and were 36.4% from downtown (12-33) in the contest while Cal State LA shot 45.9% from the field (28-61) and 42.9% from deep (9-21). The Cougars won the overall rebounding battle 42-32 and had a big advantage on the offensive boards (18-10). Another key to their success was turning the ball over a season-low five times while also recording a season-high 18 assists as a team. Azusa Pacific led for 96.4% of the game.

Up Next: The Cougars host Northwest Nazarene in their home opener on Friday, November 26th. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., if you can't make it to the game feel free to stream it here, or follow along with our live stats.