AZUSA, CALIF. – The Cougars went two for two at home this weekend, defeating Western Washington by a final score of 86-72 Saturday evening inside the Felix Event Center. Ken West led four Cougars in double figures in scoring with 17 points. This win improves Azusa Pacific's record over Western Washington to 3-1 and it is the first time that the Cougars have played and defeated the Vikings in the Felix Event Center.
How It Happened: Western Washington opened the game by making three of their first four shots, giving the visiting Vikings a 7-5 lead. But that was when the Cougars took control of the game. West hit a three to put Azusa Pacific ahead, and that shot sparked an 18-2 run that spanned just over five minutes, capped by consecutive threes from reserves McKelery Robertson and Treven Martin. The Vikings would not get the margin back into single digits again. Robertson would finish off the half with a 30-foot three-pointer to extend the Cougars' lead to 20 at intermission, 51-31.
West would hit another three to open the second half and the Cougars would largely cruise in from there, with the lead stretching to as much as 29 courtesy of a Justin Hemsley dunk before a late Viking rally over the final four minutes reduced the final margin to 14.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific got a breakout game from George Reidy, who had a season-high 15 points. Also in double figures were Hayden Gray with 12 and Robertson, who had 14 off the bench. The Cougars grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, which they converted into 20 second-chance points. Azusa Pacific also forced 16 turnovers, turning those into 22 points on the offensive end. Nate Kleppe had eight points and seven rebounds. Eight different Cougars had an assist in the contest and 13 players saw time on the court. This was the first meeting between the two schools in Azusa. The Cougars are 3-2 all-time against Western Washington.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (3-2) will head off on their first road trip of the season next week in Idaho. They will open the weekend with a game at Northwest Nazarene on Friday at 7:00 p.m. Mountain (6:00 p.m. Pacific). The game can be streamed HERE.
