AZUSA, Calif. – It was far from pretty, but Azusa Pacific did enough to earn their fourth win in eight days, defeating Academy of Art by a 75-70 final Saturday afternoon inside the Felix Event Center.  Ken West led the way with 18 points and 6 rebounds, one of four Cougars to reach double figures on the evening.  He was joined in double digits by Hayden Gray with 16 points, Terrence Becvar with 12, and Nate Kleppe with 11.

How it Happened:  In a very physical affair, the Cougars took control on the scoreboard with a 20-6 run that spanned an eight-minute stretch of the first half and was bookended by three-pointers from West, turning an early deficit into a 25-16 lead, their largest of the first half.  The Cougars shot 44 percent from the field in the first half and knocked down six triples, ultimately taking a 34-26 lead into the locker room at intermission.

The lead stayed in the high single digits for the early part of the second half, before the Cougars unleashed a 10-0 run that seemed to put the game firmly in control.  When Trevon Ary-Turner drove from the three-point line for a layup, the Cougars had their largest lead of the night at 54-36 with 11 minutes remaining.  But Academy of Art kept up the pressure, and their defense forced 15 second-half turnovers to give the Urban Knights time to narrow the gap.

Turning Point:  By the time the game reached the two-minute mark, Academy of Art had reduced the lead to 66-61.  With the shot clock running down, Gray kicked the ball out to Allan McBride, who knocked down a three from the left wing with 1:17 remaining.  It was his only basket of the game, but it put the lead back to eight.  McBride then forced a turnover at the other end of the floor, and the Cougars would salt the game away at the free-throw line, scoring their final six points of the game at the charity stripe over the final 62 seconds.

By the Numbers:  The Cougars shot 43% from beyond the arc and attempted a season-high 34 free throws, making 23 of them.  Defensively, the Cougars held the Urban Knights to 6-24 from beyond the arc.  Azusa Pacific won the rebounding battle by a count of 38-34, with Kleppe grabbing a team-high seven.  West had three steals to go with his 18 points and six boards.  The Cougars improved to 9-0 at home this season and remain in first place in the PacWest at 7-2 in conference play, in a virtual tie with Biola (8-3) and half a game ahead of Fresno Pacific (7-3).

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (10-6, 7-2 PacWest) embark on a three-game road trip to Hawai'i.  Up first will be Hawai'i-Hilo on Thursday at 9:30 p.m. PST.