Top Performers
APU: Troy Leaf 29 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast
CBU: Gelaun Wheelwright 21 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast
After dropping the Feb. 7 game 87-80 in Riverside, the Azusa Pacific men’s basketball team bounced back with a 84-68 victory over rival California Baptist on Saturday.
The Lancers jumped ahead in the first five minutes while the Cougars struggled with rebounds. However, momentum rose in the eighth minute for Azusa Pacific as back-to-back shots from senior guard Robert Sandoval and junior forward Will Ward tied the score at 13. APU continued its run, taking the lead 20-15 midway through the first period.
The CBU defense seemed to get uncomfortable as APU moved ahead. The Cougars led by as many as 13 points in the first half before going into halftime up 38-27.
During the second half, the Cougars kept up their fast momentum and displayed consistency in both offense and defense, steadily attacking the Lancers. APU continued where it left off and led by 16 points by the seventh minute of the final half. The Cougars held off any comeback attempt from CBU and led by 24 points late in the game before closing it out with the easy victory.
Senior guard Troy Leaf scored a game-high 29 points. This performance moved him into Azusa Pacific’s top 10 in career scoring with 1,573 points.
“My favorite part of the atmosphere was any time they made runs at us, our crowd wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of coming in here and having anything on us,” said head coach Justin Leslie. “This is a special place to play, and this team has worked very hard to get to this point. To have it validated with the support we have is exciting.”
The Cougars are now 23-4 overall and 16-3 in the PacWest. The APU is tied with Dixie State for first in the PacWest standings. The Cougars will face Fresno Pacific for the last home game Feb. 28.