LA JOLLA, Calif. – Despite an 18-point performance from freshman
William Christmas, the Cal Poly Pomona men's basketball team suffered a 73-60 loss to Azusa Pacific in the season opener on Friday.
It marked the start of a two-day CCAA/PacWest Challenge tournament hosted in La Jolla at UC San Diego. The Broncos (0-1) will take on Dixie State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
On Friday in the opener, CPP trailed by 18 early in the first half but rallied to trim the margin to just five points with 6:45 to play.
A three-pointer from
Nikhil Peters brought the gap down to 56-47 and then a layup by
Justin Young a few minutes later helped the Broncos cut it to a five-point deficit. The Cougars managed to hold off the run though and finished with a 46-26 edge in rebounding.
Christmas went 8-for-11 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers. Sophomore
Chris Sullivan nearly earned a double-double performance as he contributed 11 rebounds with nine rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals.
As a team, CPP collected 14 steals and forced 24 turnovers from APU. The Cougars shot well from long distance though, sinking 10 of their 25 three-point attempts.
The two teams traded the lead early and the Broncos pushed ahead 9-8 after a Christmas triple with five and a half minutes played. APU elevated its play later in the opening half, taking a 33-25 edge into the intermission.
On Saturday, CPP will look to secure its first win with the 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Dixie State. The Trailblazers are 0-1 after falling to UCSD 62-55 on Friday night.
