By Alex Perez, Guest Writer
Women’s Basketball
The Azusa Pacific women’s basketball team defeated Cal State LA 63-58 Tuesday night, Nov. 18 in the Felix Event Center.
The Golden Eagles took control of the game early on and dominated the entire first half, leading the Cougars 38-25 at intermission. The Cougars posted a low 26.7 shooting percentage in the first half while their opponents shot 42.4 percent from the field. Eight of Cal State LA’s points came on fast breaks.
“I think we had a lot of big games this weekend, and our girls were excited and I think mentally a bit fatigued, and it’s tough to come back,” said head coach T.J Hardeman. “I think we were too pleased with ourselves.”
Azusa Pacific rallied in the second period to take the lead from the Golden Eagles with just under eight minutes left on the clock. The comeback forced Cal State LA to use a timeout while trailing the Cougars 48-46.
The Cougars went on another run and forced the Golden Eagles to use another timeout with the Cougars up 59-51 and just two minutes to go. APU was able to secure the lead and the victory 63-58. Kelly Hardeman led with 28 points.
“We talked about playing with a little more emotion, and passion and drive in the second half, and that’s what we did,” coach Hardeman said.
The Cougars advance to 3-0 on the season.
Men’s Basketball
Azusa Pacific men’s basketball dominated the court against Occidental, defeating the Tigers 107-82 on Tuesday.
The Cougars held the lead throughout the first period and led the Tigers 55-36 at half. The Cougars went 22-38 and shot 57.9 percent before the break, with 12 points off fast breaks.
“We wanted to be able to come out and play a game where we could play fast, play aggressive, and have the opportunity to score some points,” said head coach Justin Leslie. “I’m proud of the guys. They did a lot of really good things out there. It’s nice to be on our home court and shoot the ball well.”
The Cougars continued to overwhelm the Tigers at the start of the second half, going on a 12-4 run and forcing Occidental to call a timeout just a few minutes into the second period when down 67-40. The Cougars never stopped putting on the pressure and cruised to a commanding win.
APU finished the game with a 58.9 shooting percentage and 27 points off fast breaks. Senior point guard Troy Leaf led with 24 points while forwards Austin Dyer and Petar Kutlesic had eight rebounds apiece.
“The coaches prepared us well for this game as far as what they were running offensively and defensively,” said senior point guard Robert Sandoval.