SURPRISE, Ariz. – It was a tough afternoon at Faith Arena for the OUAZ men's basketball team as Life Pacific overcame an 18-point second half deficit to claim a 100-96 win in double overtime on Saturday.
 
OUAZ (6-10, 2-5 GSAC) appeared to be in good shape for their third consecutive win when Elijah Simmons completed an alley-oop from Brian Carey to give the Spirit a 54-36 lead with 14:24 to play. Life Pacific (6-11, 2-5) would outscore OUAZ 35-17 the remainder of regulation – tying the game with 2.1 seconds to play – to force overtime.
 
Simmons forced the second overtime with a tip-in bucket with 3.5 seconds to play in the first extra period. In the second session, LPU hit 7 of 9 shots with a pair of threes while forcing three Spirit turnovers to complete the comeback.
 
OUAZ was able to build their advantage by scoring inside. The Spirit's first 32 points if the game came in the paint and they had 56 points in the paint for the game. That helped the team shoot 47.9 percent from the field. The team held a 48-41 advantage in rebounds, and they assisted on 20 of 24 made baskets.
 
The long ball proved to be a critical factor in the decision as LPU hit 14 from beyond the arc on 43 attempts – including a 1 for 17 stretch at one point. In contrast, OUAZ made only four if its 21 attempts from beyond the arc with three of the makes coming in the overtime periods. The Warriors also took advantage of 19 Spirit turnovers for 24 points while committing only 11 turnovers themselves.
 
Three players had 20-point games for the Spirit for the first time in program history. Shazier Lawson led the group with a career-high 25 points. He hit 7 of 12 shots and was 11 of 12 at the foul line to record his second straight 20-point performance. Lawson also led the team with 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double this season.
 
Dimetres Moore finished with 24 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Simmons had 20 points and six boards.
 
Andre Allen led LPU with 30 points and seven assists. Daniel Hernandez made seven threes to finish with 23 points.
 
OUAZ will now head for northern California to play a pair of games next week. That trips begins at William Jessup on Thursday in Rocklin, Calif., at 8:30 p.m. (AZ).