HONOLULU, Hawai'i - Azusa Pacific earned a 71-58 victory at Chaminade on Thursday evening after a strong offensive showing on the hardwood. George Reidy and Bryce Sloan both led the Cougar offense, collecting 16 points each, while Sloan came up with nine rebounds. Nate Kleppe and Ken West also had eight rebounds each in the victory.
How it Happened: With 11 minutes left in the first half, the Cougars found themselves up 17-16 against the Silverswords before West extended the lead to 20-16 after knocking one down from beyond-the-arc. Chaminade began to close the scoring margin at 24-22, but the Cougars earned the next five points thanks to Reidy and Sloan to extend the lead over the Silverswords to 29-22. Azusa Pacific's defense would hold strong in the final minutes of the first half, carrying a nine point lead over Chaminade into halftime.
The Cougars and Silverswords exchanged points throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half. After a dunk by Kaleb Taylor, Chaminade went on a 10 point run to make it a four point game at 61-57.
With three minutes remaining in the game, Sloan got fouled, giving him an opportunity at the free throw line, where he went 2-for-2. Kleppe followed, draining a three-pointer of his own, followed by another one from beyond-the-arc from West with a minute and a half remaining in the game to give the Cougars a 12 point lead at 69-57.
Sloan rounded out the scoring for Azusa Pacific with a driving layup with 21 seconds remaining. Chaminade was able to collect a shot from the free throw line before the game ended, but the Cougars prevailed, taking the victory over the Silverswords by a final score of 71-58.
By the Numbers: The Cougars turned in a 43.1 FG%, while limiting Chaminade to shooting just 32.8% from the field. Azusa Pacific also shot 40% from beyond-the-arc, while dishing out 12 assists in the game. Three different Cougars came up with a block and a steal in the win, while West joined Reidy and Sloan in double-digit points with 11.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific will conclude its Hawai'i road trip on Saturday, January 27th at Hawai'i Hilo. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. (PST) and you can watch HERE.
