Despite leading at halftime, the Dixie State University Red Storm suffered their second loss in the Pacific West Conference Thursday against the Azusa Pacific University Cougars by a score of 69-63.
The Red Storm got off to a quick start, jumping out to an early 9-4 lead within the first five minutes of play. DSU and APU then see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the first half until the Red Storm took a 32-30 advantage into the locker room.
DSU extended its lead to 39-33 within the first minutes of the second quarter. The Cougars fought back again and took the lead behind a 17-3 run. With just over five minutes to go, the game was again deadlocked at 54 before APU ended up on top by a final score of 69-63.
Sophomore guard Trevor Hill led the way for DSU with a game-high 21 points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Brandon Simister chipped in 12 for the Red Storm, while junior forward Josh Fuller added 11 points.
APU shot 47 percent from the field and connected on 10 of its 22 shots from behind the 3-point line. It also assisted on 14 of its 26 made field goals and outscored DSU’s bench 26-17.
DSU falls to 2-3 in the PacWest Conference and will continue its road trip Saturday against the Concordia University Eagles.
