AZUSA, Calif. – The Azusa Pacific men's basketball team earned their second win of the season in a style similar to the first, holding off a late comeback effort to defeat Seattle Pacific by a 77-70 final Friday night inside the Felix Event Center. Ken West led four Cougars in double figures with a game-high 19 points.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific led for all but the first 45 seconds, opening the game on an 8-0 run and shooting the lights out in the opening 13 minutes, making 14 of their first 20 shots from the field, including three three-pointers each from West and Nate Kleppe, propelling the home side to a 37-20 lead. While the Falcons would cut into the lead late in the first half, the Cougars still shot 58% from the field over the first 20 minutes, resulting in a 43-32 advantage at intermission.
The Cougars put up the first five points of the second half, extending the lead back to 16. But from there, Seattle Pacific fought their way back into the game, putting together an 8-0 run to cut the deficit in half, and continuing to hang close throughout the remainder of the game, climbing within three points on multiple occasions. Azusa Pacific was able to find answers to hold the lead every time, starting with Justin Hemsley knocking down the team's first free throws of the night with 10:06 remaining in the contest.
Turning Point: The Falcons had once again cut the Cougar lead to just a single possession at 69-66 with under two minutes remaining. A pick-and-roll found the ball make its way into the hands of George Reidy, who knocked down a turn-around jumper at the foul line to put the Cougars ahead by five. Hemsley drew a charge call on the defensive end to force a turnover, and the team would work the shot clock at the other end, with West finding a cutting Kleppe for a layup with 44 seconds left to make it a three-possession game and send the fans home happy.
By the Numbers: Besides West's 19 points, Kleppe had 15, including four three-pointers; Hayden Gray added 12 points and 4 assists; while Kaleb Taylor had 10 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. The Cougars were able to turn 13 turnovers into 18 points on the offensive end and shot 50% from the field for the game. The starting frontcourt of West, Kleppe, and Hemsley shot a combined 10-13 from beyond the arc, and attempted all 8 of the Cougars' free throws on the evening. Azusa Pacific is now 4-7 all-time against Seattle Pacific. This was the Cougars' first home win over the Falcons in the NCAA era (2012-present).
Up Next: The Cougars (3-2) will return to the Event Center floor Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. for a matchup against Western Washington. The game can be livestreamed HERE.
