REDLANDS, Calif. - Arizona Christian University (4-1), led 48-32 at halftime and by as many as 26 points midway through the second half on its way to a 92-69 collegiate men's basketball victory over the University of California-Santa Cruz (2-7), an NCAA Division III school, Saturday, December 8, at the University of Redlands' Currier Gymnasium. ACU outscored UC- Santa Cruz, 29-15, at the free throw line and out-rebounded the Banana Slugs, 43-28, and the Firestorm's reserve players outscored UCSC's reserves, 38-15. 

ACU hosts Northern New Mexico College, Friday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m., in Fultz Memorial Gymnasium, in the second game of a collegiate basketball doubleheader which also features ACU women's basketball against South Dakota School of Mines and Technology from Rapid City, S.D. at 5:30 p.m. ACU edged NNMC, 75-74, in a Nov. 3 meeting in Espanola, New Mexico, the Firestorm's first official game of the 2012-13 season. 

Junior guard Jordan Block (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Claremont H.S./Pasadena City College), junior guard Mason Jones (Huntington Beach, Calif./Ocean View H.S./Eastern Oregon Univ.), and freshman forward Jackson Helms (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley H.S.) scored 19 points each to pace the Firestorm, and senior guard A.J. Koch (Tucson, Ariz./Flowing Wells H.S.) added 13 points. Block made 5 of his 9 shots and 8 of 12 free throws, hit one three-pointer and also grabbed five rebounds, passed four assists and stole the ball from the Banana Slugs four times. Jones drilled 3 three-pointers and made 6 of his 11 shots and all four of his free throws, blocked a shot and grabbed two rebounds, and Helms also had four rebounds and made 9 of his 10 free throws and 5 of 8 shots. 

Koch went 4-for-5 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free throw line, gathered three rebounds and passed six assists and now has 981 points in 86 career games as he looks to become ACU's 13th player ever to reach the 1000 career point plateau. 

Junior center Daniel Cornelius (Phoenix, Ariz./Phoenix Christian H.S.) added seven points, five rebounds, one three-pointer and two assists, and freshman forward Mike Navar (Chino, Calif./Chino Hills H.S.) gave ACU six points, eight rebounds, four blocked shots, one assist and one steal. 

Junior guard Trent Reeves led the Banana Slugs with 17 points on 6 of 9 shots and 4 of 4 free throws and had five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Freshman guard Jared Ponce finished with 11 points, all in the first half, 2 three-pointers, one assist and three steals, and sophomore forward James Townsend finished with 10 points, eight in the first half, one three- pointer and six rebounds. 

ACU made 28 of 56 field goals (.500), 7 of 19 from three-point range (.368) and 29 of 38 free throws (.763), committed 16 turnovers, blocked five shots and stole the ball from the Banana Slugs 10 times. UC-Santa Cruz hit 23 of its 59 field goal tries (.390), 8 of 22 from three-point range (.364) and 15 of 20 free throws (.750), committed 18 turnovers and stole the ball from ACU 11 times. 

ACU scored 12 consecutive points early in the first half and turned a 6-2 deficit into a 14-6 lead with 16:25 left. The Firestorm built its first double-digit lead, 21-11, with 13:42 left in the first half and stretched the lead to 17 points twice, 45-28 and 48-31, in the last two minutes and led 48-32 at the halftime intermission. Jones and Block scored 13 points each in the first half, and Jared Ponce scored 11 in the first half for UCSC.