University of Puget Sound

TACOMA, Wash. -- The Loggers get their first win of the season against Azusa Pacific, taking down the Cougars 74-64.

How it Happened
The Cougars struck first with a three to kick off the gae, adding another to go on a 6-2 run early. Back-to-back buckets by Dante Deshautelle got the Loggers right back in the game, and a three by Zane Miller cashed in his first triple of the night. Miller followed it up with a bucket off a nifty pass by Hugo Rutherfurd, completing a 9-0 Logger run. 

Ian Cook then made a pair of free throws, and Conor Maguire got his first bucket of the day to put the Loggers up six. The Logs kept rolling, and the shots kept falling, as Rutherfurd and Trevon Hamilton both picked up their first points of the evening. A tough Rutherfurd bucket in the paint put the Loggers up 24-17, but the Cougars started to claw their way back into the game. 

All of a sudden, the Loggers found themselves down 27-26, as Azusa Pacific took their first lead since their opening run. They extended their lead to four, but quick buckets by Miller and Rutherfurd tied the game at 30 apiece with just over two minutes remaining. The two teams went back-and-forth in the closing minutes of the first half, but a final Aaydan Saucedo triple gave the Loggers a 37-35 lead going into halftime. 

Ian Cook got a tough offensive rebound and a bucket to get the Log rolling in the second half. Puget Sound never looked back, going on a 14-2 run to open the period. Hamilton hit a three and got a tough and-one after jumping a Cougar pass, Saucedo hit a three of his own, and Rutherfurd hit a jumper to get the Loggers out to a 51-37 lead. 

An Azusa Pacific run pulled them within seven shortly after, but the Loggers made some solid adjustments defensively to redirect their course. Deshautelle laid it in to put the Logs on the right track, with four straight Maguire points following soon after. Hamilton hit yet another three to put Puget Sound up 63-51, forcing a Cougar timeout. 

Up by double digits, the Loggers were able to cruise to the finish line. They held steady on the offensive end, only turning the ball over eight times the entire game. Hamilton went to work offensively in the final six minutes, scoring six in a row to keep the Loggers up 13. A layup by Miller and two final free throws by Saucedo put the icing on the cake, as the Loggers got it done, 74-64. 

What Happens Next
The Loggers head down to California to take on Claremont on Wednesday, November 11th, at 7:00 pm.