HILO, Hawai'i - In what was a battle between two strong PacWest teams, Azusa Pacific fell to Hawai'i Hilo by a final score of 68-59 on Monday evening. Bryce Sloan led the scoring for the Cougars, collecting a season-high 15 points, while Nate Kleppe joined him in double-digit points with 13. Kleppe was also a season-high 5-for-8 from the field and led the team with six rebounds and had one block in the game.
How it Happened: Azusa Pacific started the game with an offensive spark, led by a dunk from Kleppe and one from beyond-the-arc by McKelary Robertson. Holding an 8-6 lead over Hawai'i Hilo, the Vulcans then went on a five point run to regain the lead at 13-8. The Cougars came back, forcing the score to be tied three times within the next four minutes and eventually took the lead 25-24 in part from Kleppe's shot from downtown. The Vulcans pulled away at the end of the half and and the Cougars found themselves trailing 34-26 heading into the final 20 minutes.
Hawai'i Hilo opened the second half with eight points of their own before Azusa Pacific began to respond, going on a 14-point run of their own to put the deficit at 42-44. The Cougars found themselves with the lead at 45-44 after a fastbreak layup by Trevan Martin, but a five-point run by the Vulcans allowed them to regain the lead.
The Cougars kept it close for the remaining five minutes, but Hawai'i Hilo was able to pull away, holding a nine-point lead to end the game.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific was 20-for-57 (35.1%) shooting from the field, compared to the the Vulcans 28-for-55 (50.9%). Although the Cougars scored 24 points off turnovers with Hawai'i Hilo only scoring 14, the Vulcans took advantage of points in the paint, scoring 46 compared to the Cougars 24.
The loss moves Azusa Pacific to 12-5 overall and 7-3 in PacWest play.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific will continue their road trip on Wednesday, January 18th when they face Hawaii Pacific in Oahu, Hawaii. Tip off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (HT) | 8:30 p.m. (PT). You can follow the live stats HERE.
