IRVINE, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific got its third-consecutive win on Tuesday and moved into first place in the PacWest standings going into the conference season, which begins with the Cougars at Hawai`i Hilo on Monday night.
 
Azusa Pacific got a come-from-behind win over Cal State San Marcos when Ben Avera knocked down a contested 3-pointer with a second left in the game after having trailed by as much as 23 in the 67-66 victory.
 
Fresno Pacific defeated a pair of regional foes this week, beating Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay. Against the Pioneers, Fresno Pacific trailed by one with less than a minute to go when Aamondae Colemane made a go-ahead lay-up. The Sunbirds then made a big defensive stop, and Adrian Antunez, who scored a team-high 22 points, got the rebound to secure the win.
 
Notre Dame de Namur got its first win of the season against Western New Mexico. Now the Argonauts will get the conference season started at home against Biola and Point Loma this week. Biola will also travel to Dominican on Saturday as both teams go into the week looking for their first win against an NCAA Division II team.
 
Azusa Pacific will begin the conference season in Hawai`i. On Wednesday, the Cougars will face Chaminade, which is undefeated against NCAA Division II teams this year. The last time the teams played, Grant Dressler hit a game-winning 3-pointer for Chaminade.
 
Weekly awards for the week of Nov. 25-Dec. 1
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Trevor Thompson, NDNU
G, So., 6-2 -- Phoenix, Ariz.
Thompson scored 54 points in two games to earn recognition as the PacWest Player of the Week. Thompson scored 24 points in the Argonauts’ win over Western New Mexico and had seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. The following night, Thompson played 37 minutes against No. 4 UC San Diego and finished the game with a season-high 30 points. He made 5 of 10 shots from 3-point territory and went 10 for 16 from the field. Thompson is now the PacWest leader in points this season, averaging 20.8 with a total of 25 rebounds and nine assists.
 
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Selom Mawugbe, Azusa Pacific
F, Sr., 6-10 -- Canyon Country, Calif.
Mawugbe led Azusa Pacific to its fifth win of the season on Tuesday, beating Cal State San Marcos after trailing by more than 20 points in the first half. Mawugbe finished the game with 18 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. It was a season-high in steals and the fourth time he has recorded at least four blocks in a game this season. Mawugbe helped Azusa Pacific’s defense hold Cal State San Marcos to 28 points in the second half.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Jonathan Brown, Fresno Pacific
G, Fr., 6-2 -- London, England
Brown helped Fresno Pacific beat a pair of CCAA teams last week. The freshman scored 20 points off the bench in the two wins and made 8 of 12 shots from the field. Brown added four rebounds, three steals and one assist in 40 minutes of play in the two games. He is now averaging 9.2 points and 2.2 rebounds per game this season and has a 43.5 field-goal percentage. Fresno Pacific is now 2-4 after getting its first two wins of the season.