AZUSA, Calif.  -- Vanguard basketball completed a Wednesday night sweep over Azusa Pacific University as the VU men's team upstaged their hosts 80-77.  Jackson Larsen and Anthony Tello were the dynamic duo of the game, leading all scorers with 23 and 21 points respectively.  Larsen was also the deciding factor in the match, as his jumper just inside the key with three seconds left tied the game and his and-one free throw put the team ahead for good.  The senior landed a season-high in points and minutes played (34) on Wednesday night.  Vanguard improves to 10-4 overall and an even 4-4 record in Pacific West Conference play.  APU falls to 9-8, 4-5
 
What Happened?  The Cougars drilled their first shot of the night from downtown but Leonard Turner got the Lions on the board with a nice finish off the glass.  APU soon led by five, though a tidy jumper by Larsen and a pull-up three by Tello knotted the score at 10-10 just past five minutes played.  But the Cougars were not dissuaded and went on a 14-5 stretch that took APU to a 24-15 advantage with 7:46 to go in the half.  The hosts got their lead up to 11 just over a minute later, but the final five minutes belonged to the Blue and Gold.
 
Tello was a one-man scoring machine, as he made a layup on the counter, got fouled, and converted the free throw.  A steal by Chris Chiles shortly thereafter sprung Tello again and he finished aptly off the glass.  He then concluded the run by knocking down a three after Chiles got an offensive board, as #1 sliced the gap to 29-28 with 3:29 to go.
 
A Larsen layup gave VU a short-lived 33-32 lead with 22 seconds to go in the half, but the Cougars made a rebuttal with six ticks remaining to snag a 34-33 halftime lead.  VU shot 40.6% in the first half and went 6-of-11 from downtown, good for 54.5%.  APU shot 40% from the field and 34% (7-20) from deep.  The Cougars held a 21-18 lead in rebounds after 20 minutes.
 
Turner tallied two layups over the first two minutes of the second period to put the Lions ahead 37-34.  But APU did not let the Lions pull away during the opening stages of the half and the Cougars slowly gained traction and tied the score at 49-all at the 11:51 mark.  The lead swapped hands twice before the home side unleashed a 14-4 spell that put Vanguard down 65-57 with 6:12 to go.
 
The hole grew deeper, as APU went on to lead 70-59 with 4:30 left, but the Lions rapidly closed the gap over the final three minutes.  Aibigho Ujadughele drilled a triple with 2:10 to go and Larsen then tipped in a ball on the rim and got fouled, with the and-one cutting the deficit to 75-71.  Chiles swooped in for a steal on the next APU possession and Ujadughele slid open and slotted home his three to make the score 75-74 with 1:28 to go. 
 
The Cougars could not help themselves, as another turnover with 55 seconds to go allowed Turner to make a layup to send Vanguard ahead 76-75.  APU got two free throws to temporarily take a 77-76 edge, but the Larsen layup and free throw did enough, with another bad pass giving the Lions the ball after that.  Larsen made both free throws after getting fouled to end the contest, as the Lions passed another team at the finish line for an 80-77 win, closing the game on a 23-12 spell.
 
VU shot 49.2% from the floor in the game and 50% (8-of-16) from deep.  APU shot 46.3% from the field and 41.9% (13-31) from beyond the arc.  The Cougars had a slight edge in rebounds 33-31 and both teams made 14 free throws.  The starters lifted VU to victory, as they accounted for 73 points and held APU's to 30, while the Cougars had a 31-11 lead in bench points.  The Lions also owned a 38-24 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Larsen hit nine of his 12 shots and five of his six free throws for 23 points, while Tello had 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor and a 9-of-10 mark from the charity stripe.  Tello had a game-high five assists and tied Chiles and Metz with a game-high three steals.  Turner led VU with nine rebounds, a game-high, and banked 13 points.  Chiles had 10 points and four assists, while Metz cashed in four helpers.  Ujadughele played 11 minutes but nailed two of his three attempts for deep.
 
Why is it Important?  The two schools had not played since 2012 and APU had won the previous nine encounters entering tonight.  That made this the first VU victory since January 19, 2008.  VU also climbs into a tie for fourth in the standings.
 
What was Said?  "I'm so proud of the way our guys didn't quit tonight.  We were down 11 with under four minutes to go and never wavered," said Head Coach Rhett Soliday.  "Boogie (Ujadughele) hit two huge threes and our guys rallied with some big stops and forced turnovers to flip the momentum.  Azusa is really good and so well coached and it took everything to get it done.  Jackson hit the game winner with such confidence on the finish.  It's pretty cool to see a senior have a moment like that after three years of growth and improvement.  On to the next one, playing a really good Hawaii Pacific team."
 
What's Next?  The Lions get a pair of Hawaii schools over the weekend, starting with a rematch against Hawaii Pacific on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.