SEATTLE, Wash. - Azusa Pacific was beaten by Western Washington in a high scoring affair on Saturday evening, as the Vikings earned a 100-90 victory. The Cougars dropped both games on the weekend at the PacWest/GNAC Challenge, and the Cougars are 1-3 to start the season.
Bryce Sloan turned in his third-consecutive 20 point scoring effort, as he finished with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting.
George Reidy and
Ken West scored 17 points apiece to join Sloan in double figures.
Ethan Speaker hauled in 13 rebounds, including three on the offensive end of the floor. Defensively,
Trevan Martin tallied three steals.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific was in the lead for less than three minutes in the contest, while Western Washington was out in front for nearly 36 minutes, including the final 34 minutes of action. With just under two minutes to play before halftime, the Vikings took their largest lead of the half at 46-32, and the two teams entered the locker room with the score 49-39.
Out of the break, the Cougars were able to get it back within two possessions at 49-43 (18:03) on a pair of Sloan jumpers, but six points would be the closest Azusa Pacific would get until late in the ball game. While the Cougars would face a deficit as large as 17 on two occasions, they would not go down without a fight.
The Vikings held a 17 point lead as late as 88-71 with just under four minutes to play, but the Cougars threatened to come back on the strength of a 19-6 run over the next three minutes that shrunk the margin down to just four points at 94-90 with 58 seconds to play. After the Cougars missed a chance to make it a one possession game with 42 seconds left, a Viking layup on their ensuing possession made it 96-90, and Western Washington knocked down four straight free throw attempts to ice the game and secure the win.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific racked up 17 turnovers in the game, which Western Washington was able to turn into 28 points. Western Washington finished 29-for-60 (48%) overall, including 11-for-24 from three (46%), while the Cougars shot 31-for-75 (41%) overall, and 32% (7-for-22) from beyond-the-arc. Western Washington posted an advantage in trips to the free throw line, as the Vikings made more free throws (31-for-40) than the Cougars attempted (21-for-27). The Cougars outrebounded Western Washington by a 51-32 margin, including a 20-5 advantage on the offensive glass. Despite the lopsided rebounding numbers on the offensive end, the Cougars scored just five more second chance points (15-10).
Up Next: After back-to-back weekends on the road to start the new season, the Cougars will host Cal State Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 21 at 7:30 pm for their home opener in the Felix Event Center.
