Azusa, Westmont Are Defeated

The run is over for the Golden State Athletic Conference, as Westmont and Azusa lost Saturday night in the semifinals of the NAIA Division I men’s basketball tournament at Tulsa, Okla.

After sending four teams to the final eight and with a possibility of having all four Final Four participants, the GSAC lost two teams Friday and two Saturday.

Against the only unseeded team left, No. 7-seeded Azusa Pacific was outscored, 11-5, in the final 1:30 and fell to Life of Georgia, 77-71.

Corey Evans had a tournament-high 35 against the Cougars (29-6), including critical free throws down the stretch to secure the victory for Life (29-10).

The Cougars also committed 20 turnovers, losing in the semifinals for the second season in a row.

No. 13-seeded Westmont (29-6) trailed No. 8-seeded Mobile of Alabama by only three at halftime of their game and was as close as two with 14:32 to play. But Mobile (34-5) went on a 17-9 run and pulled away to a 71-63 victory.