SAN DIEGO, Calif - On Wednesday evening, Azusa Pacific dropped just their second game on the road this season to Point Loma by a final score of 77-71. With the defeat, the Cougars fall to 12-4 on the season and 7-2 in PacWest play.
Ken West led the way for the Cougars scoring 20 points and he was joined in double-digit points by McKelary Robertson, George Reidy and Hayden Gray. Justin Hemsley and Nate Kleppe also tallied 10 rebounds apiece.
How it Happened: The Sea Lions jumped out to an early lead, taking an eight point advantage at 13-5 in the first six minutes. Azusa Pacific went on a 6-0 stretch, with all points coming from West to find themselves within five. Point Loma continued to strike within the field as well as take advantage of free throw opportunities to maintain a steady lead over Azusa Pacific throughout the half. Although, the Cougars tallied a 5-0 stretch from West hitting one from downtown and Trevan Martin coming through with a layup to put the Cougars within 6 at 31-37 to end the half.
Four minutes into the second half, Azusa Pacific came within two points with the help of a three-pointer from Bryce Sloan and one in the paint by West. Point Loma then went on an 11-point run to take a 51-38 advantage over the Cougars, but Azusa Pacific kept pressuring offensively to cut the deficit to 47-53 with nine minutes left of play. A strike from downtown by Robertson allowed the Cougars to pull within three with six minutes remaining, but Azusa Pacific's defense could not hold as the Sea Lions went on another 6-0 run. With the game coming down to the final minutes, Azusa Pacific kept it close putting pressure on Point Loma and Reidy came through from downtown with 18 seconds remaining to draw the deficit to 71-73.
Ultimately, the comeback fell short as Point Loma closed out the game with four consecutive free throws as Azusa Pacific fell to defeat on the road by a final score of 77-71.
By the Numbers: The Cougars and Sea Lions were evenly matched from the field as Azusa Pacific shot 41.3% and Point Loma shot it at 42.9%. From beyond-the-arc, the Cougars were 11-for-27 (40.7%) and the Sea Lions were 9-for-22 (40.9%). Head Coach, Peter Bond utilized his depth as Azusa Pacific scored 25 bench points, while also collecting 15 second chance points and 15 points off turnovers.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (12-4, 7-2 PacWest) embark on a three-game road trip to Hawai'i starting next week. Up first will be at Hawai'i-Hilo on Monday, January 16th at 9:30 p.m. (PST).
