COSTA MESA – On their return home from a four-game road trip, Vanguard men's basketball was bested by Azusa Pacific, dropping a 72-63 result to the Cougars Thursday night at the Freed Center. The Lions never got up to speed on the evening, but were only down seven heading into the halftime break. Their second-half surge to open the final half was shadowed by a night to forget from the three-point line, as the Lions went 1-21 (4.8%) from downtown, their worst three-point outing of the decade.

The Lions drop to 9-7, 5-5 in the Pacific West Conference. An injury-riddled Cougar team overcomes to adversity to snap a three-game loss streak and improve to 6-9, 4-6 in the league. APU also extend their win streak against the Lions in Costa Mesa to 15, a longstanding tally which dates back over 26 years (Feb. 6. 1999).

Erik Howlin led the Blue and Gold with 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists for his first double-double of the season. Dylan Swillis was next with 13 points on 6-8 from the field. Sammy Howlin was product of the bench with 10 points (5-10) to mark back to back double-digit scoring matches. Aibigho Ujadughele had eight points and six rebounds before fouling out.

What Happened? Opening tipoff came a half-hour later than its 7:30 p.m. slot time, with the carryover from the double-overtime women's basketball game prior. Despite the late start, APU were wide awake from the jump, they knocked down their first of eight threes (8-36 31%) in the match to open the scoring.

Howlin was first on the scoresheet for the Lions racing to the cup, and Pape Cisse had his way in the post for a 4-3 VU edge with 16:52 left to go.

That was the final VU lead of the ballgame as APU unloaded a 12-0 run in which they hit all six of their field goals. Trailing 15-4, Sammy Howlin handed VU back a bucket at the low blocks, but his efforts were on another APU push, this time a 7-2 run as the Lions continued their cold start (22-8 APU).

The Howlin brothers combined for most of the VU baskets heading out of the under eight media timeout, the Lions, however, would cash in on their solo three-ball of the contest courtesy of Tony Colley to make it 27-16 APU. Boogie and Bryson Metz connected for a layup on the interior, and Colley finished on the hard cut to the lane to finally grant the Lions a decent scoring rhythm (33-22).

The Blue and Gold clicked offensively in the last five minutes of the half, outscoring APU 8-4, and finding fortune in paint. Ujadughele was the catalyst, leading the break in transition to net six points during the stretch.

Azusa Pacific slowed down from the field, shooting 13-35 (37%) overall, but their three-point shooting rose an octave, as the visitors fired down 39% (5-13) of their looks from three in the half. VU could not match stride, going 0-11 from downtown in the period.

The Lions were the aggressors out of the gates, primarily attacking the lane for a 4-0 start (37-33 APU). The Cougars tacked on back-to-back three-balls to respond while Sammy Howlin and Swillis each took turns playing bully ball down low to keep the deficit at four (43-39).

The game reached an unsettling standoff. APU suffered an injury to their then-leading scorer, and VU themselves saw Ujadughele walk into four fouls with 11:04 left to go (48-41 APU). Boogie's absence did not disrupt the incessant paint presence of Swillis and Sammy Howlin, but it did limit the Lions' firepower to stay with the Cougars.

APU reestablished their double-digit lead from the first period with 2:21left to go after Thomas muscled his way inside for an easy deuce (65-54 APU). The late Lion jab of Erik Howlin points in the last couple of minutes of action could not quite rectify the impact of VU's three-point shooting woes.

What's Next? The Lions host the defending PacWest champions, Point Loma, on Saturday at 4p.m.