SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – The Cougars hit a lull late in the first half and were unable to recover, falling 64-57 to Dominican Saturday afternoon. George Reidy led the way on offense with 14 points, one of three Cougars in double figures on the afternoon.
How It Happened: The Cougars got off to a good start, with Ken West knocking down consecutive three-pointers early on helping the visitors jump out to a 9-4 lead just over four minutes in. That would prove to the be the largest advantage of the game for Azusa Pacific as the two teams slugged it out in a defensive first half where both sides were held below 40% shooting. The flaw that did the Cougars in in the first half were turnovers, as they committed 18 in the opening 20 minutes. Those turnovers were converted into 13 Dominican points, and once the Penguins took the lead at 20-18, they never relinquished it.
The Penguins came out of the locker room with a 28-22 advantage and got the lead up to eight multiple times. The two sided traded blows, with the Cougars regularly pulling within 2-3 points only to be answered by a Penguin bucket every time. While the Cougars were able to get to the free throw line 16 times in the second half, they were only able to make eight of those attempts. Reidy briefly got the Cougars all the way back within a point at 47-46 with just under five minutes to play, but the Penguins knocked down four of their next five shots, including a pair of threes, to regain a 57-51 advantage with 2:40 remaining, and the Cougars were never able to get within four the rest of the way, eventually falling to Dominican 64-57.
By the Numbers: Reidy led the team with 14 points in the contest. He was joined in double figures by West and Bryce Sloan who each scored 11. West made it a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Reidy snagged eight. Nate Kleppe added nine points and six boards, including 7f-or-10 at the free throw line on a night where the rest of the team combined to make 7-for-15. Sloan had a game-high five assists, but the Cougars committed 23 turnovers on the evening while forcing just 13 on the other end. Dominican's victory snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Cougars in the head-to-head series, which Azusa Pacific leads 20-4.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (1-7, 0-2 PacWest) returns home to take their finals and then have one more game before Christmas on December 19th when they host Point Loma. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and the game can be live streamed HERE.
