IRVINE, Calif. – Azusa Pacific was unable to overcome a slow start in the final game of its four-game regular season series with Concordia, falling 74-63 to the Eagles at the CUI Arena Saturday night.  Sasha French led the Cougars offensively with 15 points, and he was joined in double figures by Brennan Rymer (12) and Mandrell Worthy (10).

How it Happened:  Concordia came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to a 16-3 lead six minutes in, including scoring 14 unanswered at one point.  The early advantage would reach 21-6, capped off by a dunk, before the Cougars started to claw their way back.  Azusa Pacific again had a cold start, making just four of their first 17 shots from the field as the Eagles would lead by as many as 16 in the first half, ultimately settling for an 11-point edge at halftime.  The Cougars continued slowly clawing their way back, cutting the deficit back to five with an early second-half run.  The Cougars had multiple chances to pull within a single basket trailing 43-38, but were unable to do so.  After the third straight possession came up empty, Kayle Knuckles knocked down a corner three, then a conventional three-point play to stretch the lead back to double digits with just over twelve minutes remaining.  With 8:19 remaining and the Cougars trailing 53-46, Concordia forward Mac Stodart fouled out on an offensive foul.  The Cougars repeatedly worked the ball inside to try to take advantage of the shortened rotation and pulled within a single point on multiple occasions. 

Turning Point:  With 4:50 remaining, the lead for Concordia was 58-57, when Dayshone Henry knocked down a long two.  The Cougars turned the ball over on their subsequent trip down the floor, which started an 11-2 Eagle run that put the game out of reach.

By the Numbers:  Rymer had five assists and five rebounds, while Ken West led the Cougars in rebounds with six.  The telling statistic for the game, however, was the three-point shooting.  Azusa Pacific missed all seven of their three-point attempts in the second half, and were just 3-19 from long range for the game.  Concordia shot 50% from the field in the first half and stayed at a respectable 45% on the evening.  Dominic Hovasse had 13 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Concordia, providing half of the Eagles' 26 bench points.  With the win, Concordia snapped the Cougars' head-to-head winning streak at six.

Up Next: The Cougars (5-5, 4-4, PacWest Southern California pod) will finally get their first shot at Point Loma this week when the two sides meet on Friday in San Diego.  Opening tip at Golden Gymnasium is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., with the return match in Azusa on Saturday.