AZUSA, Calif. – There was a sour feeling in the air looming from the women's game as Azusa Pacific was handed their first Conference loss in two seasons to Vanguard in the final moments. Shortly after, the men's team fell 77-80 to Vanguard in dramatic fashion.

The Cougars, who had led by 11 points with 4:30 left in the game, saw their lead vanish before regaining a lead in the final 18 seconds, thanks to clutch free throws from Michael Saba. However, Jackson Larsen's clutch jumper with 2.8 seconds left, followed by two free throws, sealed the victory for the Lions.

Vanguard snapped a nine-game losing streak to Azusa Pacific, earning its first win over the Cougars since 2008. This was the teams' first meeting as PacWest opponents in Vanguard's NCAA era and the first time they faced off since 2012.

Maui Sze led Azusa Pacific with 20 points, including four three-pointers. Chris Gayles Jr., Jordan Hansen, and Michael Saba each scored in double digits, while Shant Chenorhavorian contributed a season-best eight points, which included a buzzer-beating layup to give the Cougars a 34-33 lead at halftime.

Azusa Pacific combined for 13 three-pointers as a team, but it wasn't enough to stop Vanguard and Larsen's 19 points in the second half, including the game-winner.

Despite forcing 13 turnovers from Vanguard, which the Cougars converted into 21 points, Azusa Pacific struggled with its own ball control, committing 19 turnovers—11 of them in the second half. Both teams shot 40% from the field in the first half, but Vanguard shot 59.3% in the second half (16-for-27), while the Cougars shot 54.2% (13-for-24), including 6-for-11 from beyond the arc.

After back-to-back losses to Vanguard and Hawaii Pacific last week, Azusa Pacific (9-8 overall, 4-5 in PacWest) drops to sixth in the PacWest standings.

Up Next: The Cougars will look to bounce back quickly as they host Hawaii Hilo on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the Felix Event Center, followed by a Monday matchup against Hawai'i Pacific.