The Master’s Collapses Under Tight Azusa Press

After trailing by as many as nine points early in the second half, Azusa Pacific University came back to beat The Master’s College, 77-62, Tuesday night at The Master’s.

The Cougars didn’t manage to take the lead until the 11:11 mark of the second half, when Rick Johnsen hit an outside jumper, giving Azusa Pacific a 45-43 lead.

The Cougars then went on a 17-2 streak and the Mustangs (5-10), who have now lost five straight games, couldn’t recover.

“When we started playing the pressure defense, that’s what turned the game around,” said Cougar center Bill DesRochers, who led Azusa Pacific with 22 points. “We knew they couldn’t bring the ball up that well. This was the first time we’ve been able to do that.”

Mustang Coach Randy Stem agreed. “When they pressured us, that was the turning point. We tried three different point guards and none of them could handle the pressure.

“As soon as we got behind by six, suddenly no one could even catch the ball. I don’t know what happened. I want to go home and hit something. I can’t handle this.”

Particularly distressing to Stem was the fact that the Mustangs gave up 52 second-half points.

Until Azusa Pacific applied its pressure defense, the Mustangs were in control of the game.

In the early going, the game was more or less a series of mistakes with some spectacular plays mixed in.

The Master’s jumped to a 4-0 lead on two Virgil Harraway jumpers. Azusa Pacific missed its first eight shots and didn’t score for nearly four minutes. But after a string of Mustang turnovers, Azusa Pacific tied the score, 6-6, at the 14:51 mark.

The Cougars opened in a zone defense and The Master’s seemed content to bomb over it. Three long shots by Harraway, Phil Hahn, and Pete Coeler gave the Mustangs a 12-9 lead.

After a fast break by Dwayne Lawrence, the Mustangs had two more break opportunities, but couldn’t convert on either.

First Reggie Davis missed a layup on a four-on-one break. Then, Coeler was called for an offensive foul under The Master’s basket on another fast break.

For their part, the Cougars were shooting a lot of bricks and air balls. And there were some bad passes and traveling violations committed by both teams in the same stretch.

As ugly as the play had been early on, still the Mustangs managed to keep a comfortable lead throughout the half.

In the second half, The Master’s started hot, but then Azusa Pacific (5-11) deployed its pressure defense.

“We fell asleep out there,” Stem said. “We played well for 20 minutes, but we haven’t been able to play well for the full 40. This is driving me nuts.”

Azusa Pacific 77, The Master’s 62

Azusa Pacific