AZUSA, Calif. — Azusa Pacific men's basketball was led by Justin Hemsley's season-high 26 points in a 76-55 win over Fresno Pacific Saturday. The Cougars improved its overall record to 4-4, as well as a 2-0 start in PacWest action as they've now won four in a row.
Freshman Hayden Gray continued to stuff the stat sheet, tallying 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a block and a steal as well. Ken West also produced nine points, five assists, two steals, and two blocks as the Cougars improved their win streak over the Sunbirds to eight in a row.
How it Happened: After a missed three-point attempt by Gray on the opening possession of the game, neither team missed a shot through the first two minutes of the game. Fresno Pacific led 7-5 before a Nate Kleppe three put Azusa Pacific ahead, a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game. That three started a 9-0 run for the Cougars with Sasha French capping off the run with a layup to double the advantage, 14-7.
The team's would mostly go back-and-forth for the remainder of the first half. The Sunbirds got the game within three under two minutes to play, but the Cougars responded with a 5-0 run to close out the half as Hemsley had an easy lay-in before West's three would be the final bucket putting Azusa Pacific ahead 31-23.
After the break, the Cougars hit five of their six field goals to start the second half, capped off by a three-pointer by Hemsley that stretched the lead to 48-35. Of the five made field goals, four came from beyond-the-arc with Hemsley knocking down three of them and Allan McBride sinking the other.
The triples kept falling as Terrence Becvar and McKelary Robertson came in off the bench and each made one, to up the lead to 15 points. The two guards led the Cougars off the bench scoring 15 of the 19 bench points as Becvar finished with eight and Robertson seven.
Turning Point: Leading 60-51, with over seven minutes remaining, the Cougars would rip off a 16-0 run to put the game away. Hemsley continued his hot shooting from downtown, sinking his sixth triple of the night to open the run.
Off a turnover, Becvar hit his second three before Gray's steal and breakaway dunk gave Azusa Pacific a 68-51 lead. Hemsley tallied his 25th and 26th points of the night from the free throw line before another Fresno Pacific turnover led to a Becvar reverse lay-in giving the Cougars a 21-point advantage. Gray then capped off the huge run with back-to-back jumpers giving Azusa Pacific's largest lead of the game, 76-51. The Sunbirds would score the final four points of the contest, losing 76-55.
By the Numbers: The Cougars shot 50% from the field (27-54) and 42.9% from beyond-the-arc (12-29) including shooting the lights out in the second half going 8-for-12 (66.7%) from downtown and 14-for-21 (66.7%) from the field. Azusa Pacific's defense once again held its opponents to under 40% from the field (21-58, 36.2%) and under 25% from downtown (5-22, 22.7%). In the last three wins, the defense has allowed their opponents to shoot under 37% from the field and an average of 58 points/game over that stretch. Another key to success was the Cougars cashing in on Sunbird turnovers, dominating points off of turnovers, 16-5. During the four-game win streak, the Cougars have averaged 21.5 points off turnovers compared to their opponents 8.25.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific will prepare for rival Biola, as the two will clash next Saturday, December 11 at 4:30 p.m. The Eagles are 8-1 and are riding a five-game win streak of their own. To watch Saturday's Cornerstone Cup showdown visit this link: WATCH
POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Justin Hemsley
