IRVINE, Calif. -- Fresno Pacific had a target on its back going into the conference season after having gone 6-0 during the month of November, and Azusa Pacific and Biola both had two of their best performances of the year to knock off the one of the five undefeated teams in the NCAA West Region going into the week.
 
Biola was the first team to beat Fresno Pacific as the Eagles got a massive performance from Michael Bagatourian. He made 13 of 19 shots for 36 points and added seven rebounds and six assists. Alex Wright also contributed a near triple-double performance with 13 points and 12 rebounds to go along with his team-high seven assists.
 
Azusa Pacific went on a 16-0 run in the second half and held Fresno Pacific scoreless for over six minutes during the final seven minutes of the game to wrap up a dominant 76-55 win. Ken West had two blocks and two steals in the win to lead a Cougars defense that allowed an average of just 51.5 points per game last week.
 
Academy of Art, Point Loma and Chaminade each opened their conference season with wins to go 1-0 during the first week. The Urban Knights defeated Dominican for their third win in a row, Point Loma opened its trip to Hawai`i with a win at Hawai`i Pacific, and Chaminade defeated Concordia to remain undefeated against NCAA West Region teams.
 
Concordia wrapped up its trip to Hawai`i with a 2-1 record. The Eagles have made 91 shots from beyond the arc this season, which is the most in the PacWest. They will return to action on Thursday at home against ART U.
 
Weekly awards for the week of November 29-December 5
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Justin Hemsley, Azusa Pacific
F, Jr., 6-6 -- Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Hemsley led Azusa Pacific to wins over Holy Names and Fresno Pacific last week to give the Cougars a 2-0 start to the conference season. Hemsley opened the week with a 7-for-10 performance from the field in just 18 minutes against Holy Names, scoring 19 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Two days later against Fresno Pacific, Hemsley caught fire from beyond the arc, making 6 of 8 attempts for 26 points. He also had five rebounds and an assist in the Cougars’ second conference win. He has scored 18 or more points in four of the last five games and is averaging 13.6 points per game. The Cougars are undefeated since he joined the starting lineup following an 0-4 start to the season. This is Azusa Pacific’s first 2-0 start to a conference season since 2018 as the Cougars now have a four-game winning streak.
 
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Joshua Bagley, Academy of Art
G, Gr., 5-11 -- Durham, N.C.
Bagley made four steals on Saturday against Dominican to help lead the Urban Knights to a win in their PacWest opener. Academy of Art has now won three games in a row and is 5-3, which is the third-best overall record in the PacWest so far this season. His four steals were turned into five points. During the second half, the Urban Knights went on a 13-0 run to take a commanding 22-point lead. During that run, Bagley made two steals. On the first steal, he passed the ball to Latrell Williams who passed it right back to Bagley for a 3-pointer, which he made. Bagley finished the game with 11 points and five assists as Academy of Art won 91-71 at home. Bagley now has nine assists this season and Academy of Art has 78 steals, which is the most in the PacWest. The Urban Knights will next play on Thursday with a trip to Concordia before playing at Point Loma on Saturday as the Urban Knights look to continue their momentum from the last three wins.