SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Ken West had one of the best shooting nights of his career as the Cougars took a big step towards keeping their PacWest Tournament hopes alive, picking up a 79-58 victory at Westmont College Wednesday evening inside Murchison Gymnasium.  The senior forward topped the 30-point plateau for the second time this season, making 8-9 three point shots en route to 31 points on the evening.

How It Happened:  The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands three times while being tied on five occasions.  West wouldn't attempt his first three pointer of the evening until almost seven minutes into the contest, giving the Cougars a 13-10 lead in the process.  After the teams traded layups, he hit another triple, handing the visitors their largest advantage of the first half at 18-12.  West would save any further outbursts from the outside until the closing stretch of the first half.  After Michael Saba had tied the game at 30-30 with a three of his own, West knocked down long balls on consecutive possessions to put the Cougars up by six at the half.

West continued his hot streak by scoring on the Cougars' first two possessions of the second half, including his fifth three in as many attempts.  He made it 6-6 from deep just before the first timeout of the second half, and hit a seventh in a row a minute later that pushed the Cougar lead to 53-36.  The senior forward finally missed an attempt from beyond the arc with just over seven minutes to play, but would add one more shortly thereafter to finish with 8 made triples on 9 attempts, putting Azusa Pacific back up by 17 at 70-53.

By the Numbers:  West finished 10-12 from the field and 3-3 at the foul line.  A good chunk of his success was aided by an outstanding all-around game from George Reidy, who had 16 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.  Ethan Speaker chipped in with 6 points and 10 rebounds.  As a team, the Cougars made 11 threes and had a very good evening at the free throw line, making 14 out of 18 attempts, while holding the Warriors to just 35% shooting from the field.  Azusa Pacific has now defeated Westmont 16 consecutive times dating back to 2007, giving them a narrow 48-42 lead in the all-time series.

Up Next:  With the win, Azusa Pacific (9-14, 8-8 PacWest) moved into sole possession of sixth place, the final spot in the PacWest Tournament, with four games remaining.  Their next contest sees them take on the team currently in fifth, their archrival Biola, who narrowly won the first meeting this season.  The rematch in Chase Gymnasium is set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.