HONOLULU, Hawai'i – The third time was not the charm after all for Azusa Pacific, as they fell to Point Loma in the championship game of the 2023 PacWest men's basketball tournament by an 80-69 final Saturday evening at McCabe Gymnasium.
How It Happened: The first 20 minutes were about as back-and-forth as a basketball game can get, with neither side ahead by more than six points at any time. Indeed, it was the Cougars who enjoyed that brief edge after a Hayden Gray three-pointer put the second-seeded Cougars ahead 19-13 eight minutes into the game. Point Loma responded and took the lead multiple times in the first half, but it was a pair of Bryce Sloan free throws that would give Azusa Pacific the slimmest of margins entering the locker rooms at the half, 38-37.
The early part of the second half saw the Cougars continue to keep up the pressure, even putting together an 8-0 run that gave them their largest advantage of the evening at 52-45 five and a half minutes into the second half following a technical foul against Point Loma. But as so often happens, that technical served to fire up the side that received it, as the Sea Lions would show everyone why they came into this game winners of 22 in a row. Point Loma would score on each of their next eight possessions, part of a 28-6 run that decided the contest and gave Point Loma their third conference tournament title.
By the Numbers: The contest saw 7 ties and 13 lead changes over the first 29 minutes. Sloan led the Cougars with 19 points and earned a spot on the all-Tournament team. He was joined on the team by McKelary Robertson, who had 8 points and 3 rebounds off the bench in this contest after his 17-point outburst in Friday's semifinal. Gray was the only other Cougar in double figures with 12 points. Azusa Pacific had a rough day from beyond the arc, making only 5 out of 25 three-point attempts, including just 1 out of 12 in the second half. This is the third time the Cougars have reached the championship game at the PacWest Tournament, though they have yet to win the final. Azusa Pacific is now 6-8 all-time at the tournament.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (22-7) is in an excellent position to receive an at-large bid into next week's NCAA Division II Tournament. The brackets will be unveiled on Sunday evening at 8:00 p.m. Pacific on NCAA.com, with first round action beginning on Friday.
