HONOLULU, Hawai'i – It wasn't pretty, but the Cougars got the desired result, dispatching Academy of Art by a final score of 72-60 inside McCabe Gymnasium in the semifinals of the PacWest Tournament. With the win, Azusa Pacific advances to the PacWest title game for the second consecutive season.
How It Happened: It is one of the great axioms of American sports: it's difficult to beat the same team three times in a season. And for the first 11 minutes of the game, the Urban Knights–whom the Cougars had defeated twice during the regular season–provided quite the physical, defensive-oriented challenge. Indeed, the Cougars only led 7-5 after the second media timeout, more than eight minutes into the game. Academy of Art briefly took a 12-11 lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half. But that was when the Cougar offense woke up, unleashing a game-defining 32-12 run that consumed the remainder of the first half. The run included seven 3-point field goals, an 11-0 stretch, and two separate instances where Justin Hemsley and McKelary Robertson were each fouled while attempting a three and made all three free throws. Robertson's third triple of the half came just before the buzzer and gave Azusa Pacific its largest lead of the evening at 43-24.
That edge would come in handy, as the Urban Knights valiantly tilted at this particular windmill in defense of the tournament title they won at the Cougars' expense one year ago. Academy of Art opened the second half with a 12-3 run of their own, and with 9:34 remaining they had trimmed the lead to just five points at 52-47. Ken West suddenly found his shooting stroke, making a pair of jumpers to maintain a two-possession lead. And the breaking point finally came with four minutes to go, when Robertson knocked down a foul line jumper; then, following a defensive stop, the seas parted for Bryce Sloan to drive the length of the floor for an uncontested layup, extending the lead to 64-52 with 3:15 remaining. The Urban Knights would not get closer than nine points the rest of the way.
By the Numbers: Robertson led the way offensively for the Cougars with 17 points off the bench. Also scoring in double figures were Sloan with 16, West with 14, and Hayden Gray with 10. As a team, the Cougars shot 50% from beyond the arc, making 10-20 from downtown. Azusa Pacific made up for 23 turnovers in the contest by dominating the battle of the boards, outrebounding the Urban Knights by a 42-26 margin. As befitting the physical nature of the game, Azusa Pacific attempted a season-high 33 free throws, making 20.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (22-6) advances to the PacWest championship game for the third time in program history and second time in a row. They will attempt to win their first conference tournament of the NCAA era Saturday night against the regular season PacWest Champio, Point Loma. That championship game will take place at 4:30 p.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (6:30 p.m. Pacific), and can be livestreamed HERE.
