NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene men's basketball battled back and forth with Azusa Pacific for a full 40 minutes on Friday, but fell short in the end to the Cougars 65-64.
How It Happened
NNU and Azusa would exchange the lead multiple times in the opening half, with the Cougars hitting a jumper in the final 30 seconds to send things to the break tied at 27.
Things stayed tight in the second half, until a quick 7-1 run by the Nighthawks put the home team up by seven, 56-49, with 6:45 to go.
Ryzin Bergersen had five of the seven points, drilling a three before beating his defender baseline for a layup on the next possession.
The NNU lead would be erased over the next three minutes, though, as APU tied things up at 59 with 3:21 to play.
The Nighthawks went up 64-62 after a pair of free throws from
Kobe Terashima with 1:34 left, but a three from the Cougars on the next possession gave APU the lead they would not relinquish.
NNU had a chance to win at the buzzer, but
Tru Allen's runner in the lane rimmed out as time expired.
Nighthawks Notes
- The Nighthawks shot 42.9% from deep, including going 6-10 in the second half
- Tru Allen led NNU with 15 points, three assists, and three steals
- Bergersen notched a new career-high with 14 points, going 4-7 from the field and 3-6 from deep
- Kobe Terashima added nine points, five rebounds, and two steals
Next Up
The Nighthawks will host Midwestern State on Saturday night to cap off the Thanksgiving slate of games, tipping off with the Mustangs at 7:30 p.m.
