HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The Cougars' struggles on the islands continued, as they fell to Hawai'i Pacific by a margin inside the Shark Tank.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific led before the opening tip, as the game started with a technical free throw that Ken West knocked down to open the scoring. Nate Kleppe would knock down a three to extend the lead to 4-0 before the Sharks got on the board, tying the score at 6-6 by the first media timeout. The Cougars regained the lead with a triple from West, making the score 10-8 about seven and a half minutes into the contest. Hayden Gray found Trevan Martin for a reverse layup just past the midway point of the half, but neither team was able to find much in the way of separation, as the Cougars' largest lead in the first half was five points at 17-12, which the Sharks quickly neutralized with a pair of baskets to cut the deficit to one.
George Reidy would cut through the heart of the defense for a layup to give the Cougars back the lead at 19-18. After the Sharks regained the lead, Kaleb Taylor found McKelary Robertson for a three from the left wing to regain the lead, only for the home team to take a 24-23 lead into the locker room at intermission. It was a half in which the Cougars were held to just 3-16 from beyond the arc and 8-24 overall while the lead changed hands seven times.
With 11:19 remaining, Bryce Sloan was fouled driving for a layup, and he and the offending Hawai'i Pacific player were both assessed technical fouls on the play. Sloan made his two free throws, Reidy would knock down two more on the next possession, followed by the Cougar defense forcing a shot clock violation, which begat a Sloan mid-range jumper. The 6-0 run produced the largest lead either team had enjoyed all night to that point. But the Sharks would take control from that point forward, unleashing a 18-3 run over the next five minutes to gain a 51-43 lead of their own with under five minutes to go. The Cougars would cut the lead to three multiple times in the final two minutes, and even cut the lead to a single point with one second to play. But the Sharks made two free throws, and the final desperation look the Cougars got at the buzzer fell just short.
By the Numbers: Hawai'i Pacific's win snapped a nine-game winning streak by the Cougars in the series. Sloan led the Cougars in scoring with 14 points, while West had 13 and Gray 11. The Cougars enjoyed a 21-4 edge in points off turnovers and a 24-6 advantage in bench scoring, but were done in by the home team heading to the line to attempt 27 free throws in the second half, making 21 of them. As a team, Azusa Pacific shot 37.9% from the field. They are 1-4 when shooting below 40% this season.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (12-6, 7-4 PacWest) look to salvage the finale of their Hawaiian road trip on Friday night when they visit Chaminade at 8:00 PM Pacific (6:00 HST). The contest against the Silverswords can be livestreamed HERE.
