AZUSA, Calif.— Azusa Pacific fell to Dominican in the second matchup of the season by a final score of 86-77 on Saturday afternoon.
George Reidy led on the offensive end with 23 points.
Ken West chipped in with 18 points,
Nate Kleppe added 15 points, and
Bryce Sloan tallied eight points.
How It Happened: The Cougars set the tone of the first half early, with Reidy scoring a quick three. They held onto the lead with 7 minutes left in the first half. The Penguins fought back, forcing several lead changes. Layups from Reidy and Kleppe would put the Cougars back in the lead and end the half 37-35.
The second half had several lead changes. Reidy, West and Kleppe continued to dominate, allowing Azusa Pacific to stick with Dominican. With 14 minutes left in the second half, and the score tied at 49-49, an injury would force Cougar point guard
Bryce Sloan out of the game.
After the injury time-out, the Cougars went on an 11-4 run to take a 60-54 lead with 10 and a half minutes to play. The Penguins took the momentum back and regained the lead with eight minutes to go, going on a run that would put them up by 12 points at 76-64. Azusa Pacific got within five points with 1:30 left in the second half, but Dominican held the Cougars' comeback attempt at bau. With little time left, the Cougars were forced to end the game with fouls and free-throws.
By The Numbers: The Cougars went 30-50 (50%) from the field and 47.1% (8-17) from the three-point line. Despite the Penguins not shooting as well as Azusa Pacific from beyond-the-arc (37.5%), they were able to go 17-18 at the free-throw-line (94.4%). The game came down to free-throws, which Dominican knocked down. The Cougars went 9-16 (56.3%) from the free-throw-line. Reidy led the team with 23 points and five rebounds, followed by West with 18 points and four rebounds, Kleppe with 15 points and three rebounds, and Sloan with eight points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (8-13, 7-7 PacWest) will take on Point Loma (15-6, 10-3 PacWest) for the second time in San Diego on February 10th at 5 p.m. The Cougars next home game will be on February 22nd against Hawai'i Pacific.
