AZUSA, Calif. – It took more than 40 minutes, but the Cougars kicked off 2025 with a hard-fought overtime victory, taking down the Jessup Warriors by an 86-79 final Thursday evening inside the Felix Event Center.  Charlie Gehler came up clutch, scoring 14 of his team-high 19 points in the overtime session.

How It Happened: The game saw the Cougars welcome Kaleb Taylor back to the starting lineup, feeding the junior center for a couple baskets early.  It also saw the first start in a Cougar uniform for guard Deen Abdur-Rahman, and the Atlantic City native made the most of his opportunity, knocking down four 3-point shots in the first half, including his first two attempts to give the team an early 10-5 lead.  An 8-0 run shortly before the 10-minute mark gave the Cougars their largest lead of the contest at 23-11.  The Warriors would chip away at that advantage and tie the game shortly before the break, but Abdur-Rahman's fourth triple of the evening went in with just seconds to go before intermission, sending the home side into the locker rooms with a narrow 40-37 lead.

The second half continued to be close, with neither side leading by more than five at any point.  Again, the Cougars found help from an unlikely source as backup point guard Shant Chenorhavorian drilled a pair of three-point attempts as part of a 9-1 run to give the Cougars a 59-54 lead with a little over seven minutes remaining.  The Warriors would rally and retake the lead, only to see Maui Sze tie it at the free throw line. Both teams had a shot in the final 30 seconds of regulation to break the deadlock, but neither were able to finish the job, necessitating five extra minutes.

In the extra session, it was Gehler who took over the game, getting to the free throw line eight times in overtime after the Cougars had been awarded only five free throws as a team in regulation. Gehler made all eight of his attempts, and also buried a pair of long-distance shots, one of which proved to be a dagger with under a minute to play that made it a three-possession game.

By the Numbers: Gehler led the team with 19 points off the bench while also collecting 4 rebounds and 4 assists.  He was joined in double figures by Jordan Hansen (17 points, 6 rebounds), Abdur-Rahman (12 points, 8 rebounds), and Taylor (10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 blocks).  Azusa Pacific was a perfect 13-13 from the free throw line in the game and knocked down a season-high 17 three-point shots, enabling them to overcome a 37.8% shooting performance from the field.  The Cougars forced 15 turnovers and were able to convert them into 25 critical points.  All 10 Cougars who played scored a basket, with the bench unit combining to score 36 points.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific (7-6, 2-3 PacWest) has a quick turnaround time before wrapping up this two-game homestand. The Cougars will host Fresno Pacific on Saturday afternoon, with tipoff inside the Felix Event Center scheduled for 4:30 p.m.