Junior guard Troy Leaf looks to lead the Cougars over the opposition in the second half of the season as he did on this fallaway jumpshot against the Dixie State Red Storm on Monday, Jan. 20. Photo credit: Steven Mercado
The Azusa Pacific men’s basketball team stands with a 10-6 overall record and a 6-4 conference record at the halfway point of the season after an impressive victory Friday night to stop the conference-best California Baptist Lancers from a perfect season.
The Cougars’ performance during the first half of the season was shaky. After their 20-point win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in their home opener, they lost the next two games at home against Cal Poly Pomona and Biola. A week later, they won back-to-back games against Alaska Fairbanks and Northwest Nazarene (Idaho), but began conference play with two losses against Dominican and Notre Dame de Namur, respectively.
The Cougars recently went on a five-game home winning streak that was snapped by Dixie State on Monday, Jan. 20.
“It’s been eventful. We’ve had some injuries, some tough losses, but all in all, I like how we’re competing and playing,” head coach Justin Leslie said. “We’re competing at a high level. We just have to continue to grind out and do those little things that are the difference between winning and losing.”
The Cougars’ two starting guards, juniors Troy Leaf and Robert Sandoval, possess the ball the majority of the time. Directly after a rebound, they push the ball up the floor and either take it themselves, find a teammate for an open shot, and run the pick-and-roll or the few offensive sets they run. Leaf leads the Pacific West Conference in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game, leading Hawai’i Pacific junior guard Justin Long by just 0.1 points.
Leaf said the Cougars had a lot of tough breaks in the first half of the season. According to Leaf, a number of the games they lost could have been wins if they had buckled down and made smarter plays.
“Staying focused throughout an entire game [is key]. If you take a minute-and-a-half, two-minute stretch out of a game, we win those games,” Leaf said. “We need to be able to maintain our consistency throughout a game and not only have spurts of consistency.”
The Cougars point to their defense as one of their main early struggles. Leaf talked about inconsistencies early in the season and said inconsistent defense caused issues for the team.
But lately things have picked up, particularly the defense, he said.
“I think we started really inconsistently, but I think we’re starting to come together and starting to learn how to play with each other,” Leaf said. “I think if we take where we’re at now and put that seven or eight games ago, we would be a lot happier with where we are at.”
One of the key contributors to the improving defense is sophomore forward Sharif Watson. The intensity he brings on the court ignites his teammates to bring the pressure to opposing teams.
“I personally try to do my best every play to keep the ball from going into the rim. If that means taking a charge, getting a block or bodying up, I’ll do it,” Watson said.
Watson and senior forward Tyler Monroe provide the majority of the scoring on the inside for the Cougars. Watson averages 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, leads the team in blocks with 27, is second in steals with 21, and is shooting 64.5 percent from the field. Monroe averages 12.2 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game, and is shooting 54.7 percent for the season.
Leslie said the team’s inside scorers need to make difficult shots around the basket, the shooters need to sink shots when they are open and the team as a whole needs to consistently execute the “little things.”
“Fifty/fifty balls, executing scouting reports, and game preparations are some of the little things,” Leslie said. “Those little things are the difference and we’re making steps, but I think it’s fair to say that’s a key for us.”
Everything came together on Friday night’s contest against the conference juggernaut Cal Baptist Lancers. The team came to the Felix Event Center undefeated with a 16-0 record before the Cougars stunned the Lancers with a 78-65 victory.
As the players look forward to the second half of the season, Leslie is excited for what lies ahead.
“All in all, the team is doing really well,” Leslie said. “They’re learning, they’re tougher and they’ve been a lot more mature. It’s all part of the process, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Cougars’ win over the Lancers might be what they need to push them into a hot streak to close the season.