AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific shot their way back into the win column Tuesday evening in the Felix Event Center with a 98-62 victory over Fresno Pacific. All five starters scored in double figures, with freshman
Nate Kleppe notching a game-high 18 points in his first collegiate start. Terrance Becvar scored 15 points,
Ken West had 14,
Brennan Rymer added 12, and
Mandrell Worthy chipped in 10.
How it Happened: The Cougars led for all but the first three minutes of the game, and the biggest key was knocking down outside shots which had eluded the Cougars during their three-game losing skid the previous week. The scoring came from some unlikely sources, as Kleppe made all three of his outside attempts in the first half, while backup forward
Allan McBride made a pair from beyond the arc as well. After a slow start, making just one of their first seven long-range attempts over the first five and a half minutes, the Cougars went 19-37 from that range the rest of the game. In all, seven different Cougars made at least one three-point shot, and half a dozen made at least two.
Turning Point: The Cougars blew the game open with a pair of runs in the first half. The first one began with McBride's first three of the game with 14:20 remaining in the first half and was capped four and a half minutes later with a Kleppe triple, during which the Cougars turned a one-point advantage into a 27-13 lead. The second run started with the Sunbirds within nine points with just under four minutes left in the half. West made a three-point shot of his own to kick off a 13-2 spurt that ended the first half and put the home team up 20 going into the locker room.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific made 20 three-pointers in all, tying a program record that had been set back in February of 2004 against Christian Heritage College (now San Diego Christian). Neither Kleppe nor McBride had converted a shot from beyond the arc this season coming into this game; tonight, they made six out of nine between them. The Cougars defense put forth a splendid effort, holding the Sunbirds to 38% shooting from the field for the evening, and also turned 17 Sunbird turnovers into 28 points while committing just six turnovers the entire game. The bench produced 29 points, while also converting 14 offensive rebounds into 23 second-chance points. A central part of that was junior forward
Dillon Waikle, who had eight rebounds and two blocks and brought the bench to their feet with a slam dunk on an offensive rebound. In all, 10 different Cougars made a field goal, and as a team they made 12-13 free throws.
Up Next: The Cougars (4-4), having snapped a three-game skid, will remain in southern California for the remainder of the regular season and look to keep their winning ways going when they host Concordia Friday evening in the first half of a home-and-home with the Eagles. Game time in the Felix Event Center is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
