AZUSA, Calif. – The Cougars played their final home game of the season Thursday evening, and like many of their games this season, they fought hard but came up short, falling 83-76 to Westmont inside the Felix Event Center.

How It Happened: Caleb Oden knocked down an early three to give Azusa Pacific a brief 5-4 lead, but it was immediately answered by the Warriors.  The first half continued to be closely contested, with neither side leading by more than four for most of the opening period.  Shad Thomas gave the Cougars what would prove to be their last lead of the game at 27-25 just inside the five-minute mark of the half, only to see the Warriors go on a 9-0 run that put them ahead by seven.  Back-to-back three-point plays by the Cougars saw them pull within a single point at the half.

While Westmont would never trail in the second half, the Cougars were able to keep it close with some offense from an unlikely source as backup forward Colton Grey came through with 10 points off the bench, all of them coming after halftime.  Despite this outburst, the Warriors slowly pulled away, extending their advantage to 10 points just past the midway point of the half.  The Cougars chipped away with Sanders leading the charge, scoring 11 points in the second half.  And when fellow senior Shant Chenorhavorian drained a three from the top of the arc, the Cougars were back within two at 70-68; but they would get no closer the rest of the way.

By the Numbers:  Thomas led the Cougars once again with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals.  Joining him in double figures were Sanders (14), EJ Bryson (13), and Grey (10).  The Cougars made 12 three-point shots in the game, but were dominated near the basket, with Westmont outscoring Azusa Pacific in the paint 46-26.  Westmont turned 16 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points.  All-time, Azusa Pacific narrowly leads the series with Westmont 49-45, with the Warriors having claimed three of the last four.  This game also marked a return for Westmont head coach Justin Leslie, who was the head coach at Azusa Pacific from 2007-2019, winning 266 games along the way.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (7-19, 5-16 PacWest) have one game left this season, and it's the all-important trip to Biola.  Tipoff in Chase Gymnasium is set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.