AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific men's basketball took down rival Biola 68-55, for its fifth straight win. The Cougars now sit above .500 at 5-4 on the season and are 3-0 to start PacWest play.

Justin Hemsley and McKelary Robertson led the way as both were the only Cougars in double figures. Hemsley had a team-high 20 points, while Robertson had 17 of the team's 36 bench points.

How it Happened: With a 6-4 lead in the opening minutes, Azusa Pacific ripped off a 15-0 run that saw the defense hold Biola scoreless for over five straight minutes. During the 15-0 run, the Cougars knocked down five three-pointers, adding to their hot shooting start going 7-of-9 from downtown helping them to a 21-4 advantage.

Then, after an Eagles 9-0 run brought the game back within single digits, Robertson drilled back-to-back triples to put Azusa Pacific back up 32-20 under five minutes left in the half. Robertson led all scorers with 13 points as the Cougars took a 40-25 lead into the half.

Turning Point: Azusa Pacific forced 11 of the 14 Biola turnovers in the second half as they were able to keep the Eagles at an arm's distance, never allowing their opponent within single digits the rest of the way. The Cougars defense dominated throughout the game as Biola shot just 12.5% from beyond-the-arc (2-for-16) in the game and 34.5% (19-for-55) from the field.

After a 4-0 run by Biola to open the half, Azusa Pacific answered back with a Ken West layup before a pair of threes by Trevon Ary-Turner and Terrence Becvar off the bench upped the advantage to 48-34. 

With 12 minutes remaining in the game, the home crowd began to cause mayhem as Biola turned the ball over on three straight possessions leading to a pair of easy Azusa Pacific buckets to put them up 56-40. 

Hemsley's pullup jumper with 3:21 to play would put the nail in the coffin extending the Cougars lead to 14 with 3:21 left. Azusa Pacific would go onto win 68-55.

Beyond the Numbers: The Cougars bench was a big part of the victory tallying 36 points (second-best of season) as Robertson led the second-unit with 17 points while Ary-Turner and Avera each hit a pair of threes. Azusa Pacific shot 40% from the field (24-60), and 37.5% from downtown (12-32) with seven of the 12 threes coming in the first eight minutes of the game. The defense held Biola to a season-low 12.5% from three-point range (2-16) and had a season-high nine steals as seven different Cougars recorded a steal.

In the last four wins, the Azusa Pacific defense has allowed their opponents to shoot under 35% from the field and under 20% from downtown with an average of 57.25 points/game over that stretch. The Cougars lost the points in the paint battle tonight, and have done so in four of their last five wins.

Up Next: The Cougars will take their five game winning streak down to San Diego where they will face the Sea Lions of Point Loma (4-6, 1-2 PacWest) next Saturday, December 18th. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. to watch click here, or follow along with live stats click here.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Justin Hemsley & McKelary Robertson