AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific fell in its 2023-24 home opener on Tuesday evening against the Golden Eagles of Cal State Los Angeles. Ken West led the Cougars offensively, scoring 19 points, going 7-for-11 in the field and 5-for-7 from beyond-the-arc. Nate Kleppe and Ethan Speaker also joined West in double digit scoring, while Michael Saba put up a career-high 12 points. 

How it Happened: It was a back and forth first half as both teams took advantage of possessions through the first 20 minutes of play. Azusa Pacific jumped out to a 6-2 lead with help from Speaker and West, but the Golden Eagles quickly tied it at 6-6. A three-pointer by Sloan gave the Cougars an advantage at 9-6 before four minutes of a scoring drought took place for both teams. 

The Cougars then found themselves up by nine points after West found his first three pointer of the night, and another shot from beyond-the-arc by West helped Azusa Pacific get out to a 25-15 advantage. Cal State Los Angeles closed the scoring margin due to eight made shots at the charity stripe. The Cougars fought hard to keep its lead with a made free throw by George Reidy and two back-to-back three pointers from West and Speaker, but the Golden Eagles were able to tie the game at 30-30. It was Cal State Los Angeles who was able to get the final shot of the half off with two seconds left to lead 33-30 going into halftime. 

The Golden Eagles got out to a quick 39-33 advantage to open the half, a lead that would hold for the entirety of the final 20 minutes. The Cougars found themselves within five after two free throws by Kleppe, but Cal State Los Angeles' offense could not be managed efficiently as they took a seven point lead with 13 minutes left. 

The Cougars began to claw back in the final minutes with the help of two good three pointers by West, followed by a jumper and made free throw from Kleppe, finding themselves within two. A layup by West put the score at 70-68 still in favor of the Golden Eagles, leading the Cougars to take their final timeout. 

With 11 seconds left, Azusa Pacific could not take advantage of an opportunity to tie it and eventually fell in their home opener 70-68 to Cal State Los Angeles. 

By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific capitalized on second chance points, scoring 22 compared to the Golden Eagles two. Both teams each had 24 points in the paint, while Cal State Los Angeles had nine points off fast breaks compared to the Cougars seven. The Golden Eagles took advantage of Azusa Pacific's 22 turnovers as they scored 20 points off turnovers throughout the game. 10 different Cougars saw action in the game tonight as the team shot 46% from the field and 41.7% from beyond-the-arc. 

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will travel to Northwest Nazarene this weekend to compete in the NNU Thanksgiving Classic. The first game will take place on Friday, November 24th at 7:30 p.m. (PT) | 8:30 p.m. (MT).