Denver, Colo. - Arizona Christian University built two 13-point leads late in the game but had to survive a furious rally by three-time defending conference champion Johnson and Wales University (Colo.) before prevailing 70-68, in Sunday, Nov. 6 Association of Independent Institution (A.I.I.) men's basketball action in Wildcat Gymnasium in Denver. ACU recorded its first victory ever over JWU (1-3, 0-1 A.I.I.) in the teams' fourth meeting in the last three seasons. 

ACU (1-1, 1-0 A.I.I.) travels to southern California for its next two games, meeting The Master's College in Santa Clarita, Calif., Friday, Nov. 11, at Bross Gymnasium, at 8 p.m. Phoenix time, and Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 12, at Chase Gymnasium, at 4 p.m. Phoenix time. Both opponents are future Golden State Athletics Conference opponents for ACU when they officially join the conference for the 2012-13 season. 

Coach Rick Roth comments, "Most pleasing to me today was that all 10 players who played scored four points or more. Daniel Cornelius (Phoenix, Ariz./Phoenix Christian H.S.) and John Irvine (Phoenix, Ariz./Scottsdale Christian Academy) really stepped up and gave us strong inside games. Also, I was very pleased with the contributions of Jordan Augustine (West Jordan, Utah/Waterford H.S.) who gave us 6 rebounds, 5 points and 3 assists off the bench and the fact that we shot over 55 per cent from the field and over 56 per cent from three-point range as a team for the second game in a row." 

Irvine led ACU in scoring with 14 points, making 5 of 8 shots and 4 of 5 free throws, before fouling out late in the game, and also had 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Cornelius finished with 12 points for the second consecutive game, making 4 of his 5 shots and both of his three-point field goal tries and both of his free throw attempts, and added 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal, and junior guard A.J. Koch (Tucson, Ariz./Flowing Wells H.S.) finished with 8 points, a three- pointer and 6 rebounds. Freshmen Jared Culbert (Henderson, Nev./Coronado H.S.) and Judah St. Amand (Phoenix, Ariz./Scottsdale Christian Academy) contributed 6 points each, and 

Culbert made both of his shot attempts, blocked a shot and stole the ball once, while St. Amand went 2-for-2 from three-point range for the second consecutive game. 

Four other Firestorm players scored five points each -- senior guards Houston Friend (Phoenix, Ariz./Scottsdale Christian Academy) and Josh Cole (Phoenix, Ariz./Westview H.S.), Jordan Augustine, and freshman guard Naheer Mirza (Phoenix, Ariz./Paradise Valley H.S./Vanguard Univ.). Friend had one three-pointer and 2 rebounds, and Cole added a three-pointer, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Augustine finished with 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and Mirza made one three-pointer, passed 2 assists and stole the ball from JWU once. 

The Firestorm made 25-45 from the field (.556), 9-16 three-pointers (.563) and 11 of 14 free throws (.786), committed 20 turnovers, and had 8 steals. Johnson & Wales made 25-64 field goals (.391), 6-20 from three-point range (.300) and 12-18 free throws (.667), out-rebounded ACU, 34-31, committed 14 turnovers and stole the ball 7 times. JWU enjoyed a wide 19-8 offensive rebound advantage and outscored ACU, 16-5, on second-chance baskets. 

Senior guard Jazz Williams led five JWU players in double figures with 16 points, 2 three- pointers, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, one blocked shot and 2 steals, and junior guard Chris O'Neal added 13 points, nine in the last minute of the game. Junior guard Jake Campbell, the A.I.I. Player of the Year last season, added 10 points and 6 rebounds, and guard Corey Puckett finished with 12 points, 3 three-pointers and 3 rebounds. Junior forward Cedric Ennis contributed 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, and sophomore forward Kahler Grandbouche scored just 3 points but grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds. 

In the first half, Arizona Christian led 17-12 on Koch's three-pointer with 9:22 remaining, but JWU outscored the Firestorm, 10-2, during the next 3:15 and went ahead, 22-19, with 6:07 left. ACU followed with 11 consecutive points, four each by Cornelius and Culbert, and took its biggest lead of the first half, 30-22, on Mirza's three-pointer with 1:32 left before intermission. The Firestorm led 30-24 at the break. 

The hosts from JWU made four offensive rebound baskets in the first half, while ACU made none. But JWU shot just .265 (9-34) from the field and .091 (1-11) from three-point range in the first half, while ACU shot .455 (10-22) from the field and .444 (4-9) from beyond the arc. 

The Wildcats then outscored ACU, 10-2 in the first 3:58 of the second half, erasing ACU's lead and taking a 34-32 lead. Williams scored six of JWU's points during the comeback. An 8-1 run regained the lead for ACU, 40-35 with 13:32 left, as Cornelius and Augustine drained consecutive three-pointers in a span of 26 seconds. The Firestorm reached seven-point leads three times, 44-37, with 10:57 left on Augustine's basket, 49-42 at 9:36 after St. Amand's 

three-pointer, and 54-47 on Irvine's lay-up with 7:42 left. At the end of a 25-12 run, ACU reached its first 12-point lead, 59-47, with 5:36 left on Irvine's lay-up after a JWU turnover.