IRVINE, Calif. – After trailing for much of the first half, Azusa Pacific managed to find some momentum in the second half but ultimately fell 65-75 to Concordia on Wednesday night. The Cougars are now 4-5 on the season and 1-2 in PacWest Conference play after opening league action last week in the Bay Area.

Michael Saba led the Cougars with a team-high 15 points, while Jordan Hansen added 13. Maui Sze tallied nine assists, bringing his season total to 38, which ranks third in the conference.

How it Happened: After an early 7-12 deficit, Michael Saba sparked a 9-0 run for the Cougars, first dishing to Trevan Martin for a layup, then hitting a three-pointer and a jumper to give Azusa Pacific a 14-12 lead. Charlie Gehler added another layup to extend the run, forcing a Concordia timeout.

After the break, Martin drove to the basket again, pushing the Cougars' lead to 18-12. Concordia responded with its first basket in over four minutes, triggering a 12-0 run that saw the Golden Eagles take a 24-20 lead.

A crucial three-pointer from Shant Chenorhavorian ended Concordia's run, but Concordia responded with back-to-back layups followed by a three-pointer to extend its lead to stretch their lead to 31-23 with seven minutes left in the first half.

Hansen kept the game within reach, scoring the next nine points for the Cougars, all from beyond the arc. And while Concordia got off another jumper with 1:12 left to go in the half, Michael Saba had the final word, hitting a buzzer-beater three-pointer to help Azusa Pacific trim the deficit to 35-41 at halftime.

Coming out of halftime, Taylor scored a bucket and hit two free throws to cut the deficit to just four points. Then, a series of key stops and big buckets from Chris Gayles Jr. and Hansen tied the game at 43-43 with 16:18 left on the clock.

Gehler knocked down a critical triple to give the Cougars its first lead since early in the first half. Both teams traded threes, with Speaker and Gehler hitting consecutive shots to keep Azusa Pacific up 52-48.

The Golden Eagles caught fire from beyond the arc, taking a 56-54 lead before Saba's layup tied it again with 10 minutes to go.

From there, Concordia went on a 10-2 run to take a 66-58 lead. Despite some late-game attempts to rally, the Cougars were unable to close the gap, as the Golden Eagles closed the game with five free throws in the final stretch to hand the Cougars the 65-75 loss.

By the Numbers: Both teams shot similarly from the field and beyond the arc, but Concordia's success at the free-throw line proved to be the difference. The Golden Eagles were 12-for-16 from the line, while Azusa Pacific only had four free-throw attempts all game. Despite out-rebounding Concordia 36:29, the Cougars' 20 turnovers were costly, while marking the team's fourth game of the season with 15+ turnovers. Concordia, by contrast, committed just 11 turnovers.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific continues its road trip, starting at Westmont on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., followed by a non-conference matchup at Cal State San Bernardino on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 5:00 p.m.