IRVINE, Calif. – The Cougars were determined to leave no doubts for the selection committee ahead of the PacWest Tournament, closing out the regular season with a convincing 80-60 victory over Concordia Saturday afternoon inside the CU Arena.
How It Happened: The Cougars took control of the game shortly after the midway point of the first half, closing the half with a 25-7 run that spanned the final 8:26. Justin Hemsley had a double-double before intermission. In fact, with 2:00 remaining in the first half, he had more rebounds (10) than Concordia did as a team (9). Bryce Sloan was perfect shooting the ball during this run, making all 5 of his shots from the field and going 4-4 at the free throw line, accounting for 16 of those 25 points as the Cougars went into the locker room with a 39-26 advantage.
Yet, in many ways, the most dangerous opponent is one with nothing to lose. Concordia, knowing their season would be over at the end of the game, opened the second half with a 14-6 run to cut the lead to just 5 points. But Azusa Pacific calmly answered with a 20-7 run of their own. McKelary Robertson knocked down 3 three-pointers during the outburst to establish their largest lead of the afternoon at 65-47 with less than eight minutes to play. The teams largely traded baskets the rest of the afternoon, with the Cougars eventually going up by as many as 22 via a Treven Martin dunk before coasting in for the 20-point victory.
By the Numbers: Sloan would lead all scorers in the game with a career-high 26 points on only 9 shots from the field. The junior guard didn't miss any of them, and also went 2-2 from beyond the arc and 6-6 at the line. Hemsley ended up with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Robertson scored 13 points, 11 coming in the second half. Allan McBride made the most of his minutes off the bench, chipping in 6 points and 4 rebounds. As a team, the Cougars shot 52.8% from the field while holding the Golden Eagles to just 36.4% themselves. They also doubled up the Golden Eagles in the rebounding battle, 44-22. Azusa Pacific swept the season series from Concordia for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific finishes the regular season with a record of 21-6, 16-4 in conference play, and are currently in fourth position in the West Region rankings, a new set of which will be released on Wednesday. The Cougars will be the #2 seed in the PacWest Tournament, scheduled to take place in Honolulu Thursday through Saturday at McCabe Gymnasium. The Cougars will play in Friday's first semifinal at 7:00 p.m. Pacific (5:00 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time) against the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal game between Academy of Art (currently ranked 7th in the region) and tournament host Chaminade. Links to the livestream and statistics for the tournament are available at the links provided.
