MONMOUTH, Ore. – No. 7 Azusa Pacific upset No. 2 Dixie State in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball West Regional, ending the Trailblazers’ 17-game winning streak with a 69-65 win on Friday at Western Oregon University.
 
Azusa Pacific’s senior Petar Kutlesic tipped in two shots in the final two minutes of the game, which proved to be the difference as the Cougars set up a Saturday semifinal with No. 3 California Baptist. Dixie State finished its season with a 23-7 record after winning the PacWest regular season title and PacWest Tournament title, recording a 17-game winning streak in the process. The Cougars improved to 21-10 on the season.

Azusa Pacific got its biggest lead of the game with under two minutes left in the game as Kutlesic tipped in a missed lay-up to go ahead 66-62. A minute later, Dixie State answered with a 3-pointer by Brandon Simister to cut the lead down to one with 49 seconds left in the game.
 
Out of a timeout, Azusa Pacific couldn’t get an open shot and Mandrell Worthy was forced to chuck a deep 3-pointer towards the hoop as the shot clock was running it. Kutlesic was right under the hoop to tip the air ball into hoop for a 3-point lead with 19 seconds left. The Cougars forced Trevor Hill to shoot a potential game-tying 3-pointer that hit the front of the rim as the Cougars picked up the win.
 
It was only the second meeting of the season between the two PacWest teams, who both played at Western Oregon on the same weekend during non-conference play. The Trailblazers won the first meeting, but Azusa Pacific got the edge in the rematch.
 
Darien McClain led all scorers with 21, including making back-to-back long treys with just under 10 minutes left in the game to tie the game. He finished the game 6 for 11 from beyond the arc. Kutlesic added an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double as he made all eight field-goal attempts from inside the arc. The senior had picked up his fourth foul of the game with 15 minutes to play, but was still effective offensively down the stretch with seven points in the final eight minutes.
 
Dixie State’s largest lead was seven points in the first half. Simister made 4 of 9 shots from 3-point territory and finished with a team-high 17 points. Trevor Hill, the PacWest Player and Defender of the Year, added 15 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
 
Azusa Pacific held the Trailblazers to just a 33.8 percent effort from the field as sophomore Selom Mawugbe dominated the paint with six blocks. The Cougars will go on to play California Baptist for the fourth time this year after the Lancers won each of the first three meetings between the rivals. The Lancers defeated UC San Diego earlier in the day to book their spot in the semifinals.
 
This is the third time in four years that the Cougars are back in the West Regional semifinals. The last time was also in Monmouth in 2016 as Azusa Pacific fell to the host Wolves. In 2015, the Cougars went on to reach the Elite Eight, which included a win over California Baptist in the regional final.