SAN DIEGO, Calif. –  The Cougars were done in by a second-half cold snap, falling to Cal State San Marcos 72-62 in the first round of the NCAA West Regional at Point Loma.  Bryce Sloan had a team-high 19 points in the contest.

How It Happened:  In this all-Cougar showdown, both teams knocked down a three-pointer with their first shot of the game, setting the stage for a competitive first half that saw 7 ties and 14 lead changes.  A Nate Kleppe three-ball gave the Cougars the largest lead of the first half just past the halfway mark at 22-17, the exclamation point of a 9-2 run.  Cal State San Marcos, who like Azusa Pacific had been the runner-up in their conference tournament, responded with a 9-2 run of their own to reclaim the lead, and the teams would trade baskets the rest of the half, with San Marcos taking a two-point advantage into the locker room at halftime, 32-30.

Azusa Pacific would come out firing, forcing three turnovers in the first three minutes of the second half and going on a 10-2 run.  When Kleppe made back-to-back three-pointers, the Cougars had their largest lead of the game at 40-34 four minutes into the half.  But that marked the beginning of the end.  San Marcos held Azusa Pacific without a point for the next five minutes, scoring 14 consecutive points and taking a lead they would never surrender.  In all, the Cougars went 1-8 from the field with six turnovers in an 8 ½-minute stretch of play that saw San Marcos take the first double-digit lead of the game with under eight minutes to play, and Azusa Pacific would not get closer than nine the rest of the way.

By the Numbers:  San Marcos turned 15 Azusa Pacific turnovers into 19 points, while Azusa Pacific only forced 9 turnovers the other way.  Sloan had 19 points for Azusa Pacific, with 10 of those coming at the free throw line.  Kleppe had 14, including three of the Cougars' seven triples.  Azusa Pacific was held to 38.9% shooting on the night.  All five Azusa Pacific starters grabbed at least six rebounds, and Azusa Pacific outrebounded San Marcos on the afternoon 38-31.  Hayden Gray had a team-high six assists.  This is the first time the Cougars have lost in the opening round of the West Regional.  All-time, Azusa Pacific is 6-5 in the NCAA Tournament.

With today's result, Azusa Pacific ends the season with a record of 22-8, having qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times in the last four seasons and having won at least 20 games for the seventh time in nine years. Head coach Peter Bond will lose senior Justin Hemsley who spent the past two seasons in a Cougar uniform, but will return 14 players to next years squad in an already highly anticipated 2023-24 season.