SAN DIEGO - Something had to give on Wednesday night with No. 16 Point Loma bringing a nine-game winning into the contest, and No. 7 Azusa Pacific riding an 11-game winning streak of their own. The game could not even be decided in the scheduled 40 minutes and instead came down to overtime, where the Cougars were able to prevail, 78-71, to snap the Sea Lions' longest winning streak of the season.
 
It was a see-saw battle the entire way with neither team ever holding more than a seve-point advantage at any point in the game. Sterling Somers hit the go-ahead basket off a pass from Darnell Robateau with 27 seconds remaining. APU answered with a layup from Selom Mawugbe to tie the game back up at 63-63 with 14 seconds left.
 
PLNU set up their final play with 2.7 seconds on the clock following a timeout from coach Matt Logie. They ran Ben Okhotin from the baseline through a pick on the win for a look at the possible game-winner. His shot was just off the mark but Sterling Somers was able to tip the putback in, unfortunately, the ball was on his had as the buzzer sounded and the refs waved off the basket. In the overtime period, APU jumped out to an early three-point lead, and the Sea Lions were never again able to regain the lead.
 
Kaden Anderson finished with 21 points and three 3-pointers to lead PLNU. He also added six rebounds and four assists. Darnell Robateau posted 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. Jordan May (13) and Ben Okhotin (12) also registered double-figures for the Sea Lions. Selom Mawugbe led the Cougars with 24 points (9-of-11) and 11 rebounds.
 
Team Records
Point Loma (17-4, 13-2 PacWest), Azusa Pacific (17-3, 12-2 PacWest)
 
PacWest Implications
Even with the loss, PLNU remains a half-game up on Azusa Pacific for first place in the PacWest standings. APU would have the tiebreaker but has played one less game than the Sea Lions.
 
Turning Point
The game came down to the overtime period where APU outscored Point Loma 15-8.
 
Words from coach Matt Logie and the student-athletes


News and Notes
> In two games against PLNU this season, Mawugbe has gone 16-of-18 from the field
> APU snapped PLNU's four-game winning streak back in December
> Azusa Pacific was the last team Point Loma lost against (Dec. 21)
> Tonight's .364 shooting percentage was the second-lowest of the season for PLNU (.322 at APU on Dec. 21)

Up Next
Point Loma will continue its six-game homestand on Monday, Feb. 10 against Chaminade. The game will tip at 7:30 p.m.