Azusa Pacific’s campaign ended at the hands of Indiana University of Pennsylvania on March 25 as the Cougars fell 69-65 in the NCAA Division II quarterfinal.
All-American senior guard Troy Leaf led the game with 29 points, but it wasn’t enough, as the Cougars shot just 38 percent from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc.
“We’ve been a strong shooting team all year, but we weren’t today,” said head coach Justin Leslie. “This is the wrong place to have your worst shooting performance of the year.”
The game featured seven ties and 14 lead changes, but the Cougars were never able to hold a steady lead, while the Crimson Hawks led for more than a third of the game. Five players scored in double figures for the Hawks compared with just two for APU.
Despite the loss in the Elite Eight, the first year of full NCAA membership could be considered a success for the Cougars.
The team produced the PacWest Player, Coach and Freshman of the Year as well as an All-American in Leaf. Azusa Pacific also won a share of the PacWest regular-season title, the program’s first conference championship since 2006. The Cougars also won the West Region championship on the way to the Elite Eight.
“This is a special group of guys, one that’s hard to say goodbye to,” said Leaf. “Even though it didn’t end the way we wanted it to, this season is still special.”
The game saw the end of five Cougar seniors’ careers: Andy Jones, Christian Katuala, Kevin Stafford, Robert Sandoval and Leaf. This group of players ushered in the NCAA era of Azusa Pacific basketball.
Jones was a talented defender who contributed leadership and energy. Katuala led the Cougars in shooting percentage (.622) and was second in rebounding (4.4 per game). Stafford specialized in shooting the long ball, finishing with a team-leading 41.8 three-point shooting percentage. Sandoval was a second team All-PacWest selection, leading the Cougars in assists (169) and second in points per game (9.9). Leaf is a first team All-American, the West Region Player of the Year, the PacWest Player of the Year and the all-time points per game leader at Azusa Pacific.
“These guys are going to compete and win a lot of basketball games, but they’re going to be champions in whatever they go into.” Leslie said.
The team’s successful run represents the “building champions the right way” moniker that Leslie has used throughout the transition into the NCAA.
Two of the five Cougar seniors are already enrolled in graduate school and the other three will graduate with a bachelor’s degree this spring.
“People ask, ‘What’s next? You lost five seniors,'” Leslie said. “We’re gonna be pretty darn good, and it’s gonna be because of what these guys built.”
The Cougars return PacWest Freshman of the Year and team-leading rebounder Petar Kutlesic as well as the team’s third- and fifth-leading scorers in Will Ward and Bruce English.
Azusa Pacific finishes the year with a 27-6 record.