LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team had its chances to upend defending NCAA Division II West Region champion Azusa Pacific on Tuesday night in its home opener, but the Golden Eagles fell short.
 
The Golden Eagles held a 29-24 halftime lead, but sputtered offensively in the second half and fell to the Cougars, 54-46, in the Eagles Nest. The game was tied at 42-42 with four minutes left, but Azusa Pacific outscored Cal State LA, 12-4 down the stretch. The final margin of victory was extended with a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining.
 
Cal State LA (0-3) scored only 17 points in the second half.
 
Joshua Munzon had 12 points and a pair of steals for the Golden Eagles, while Tahron Morrison made all five of his field-goal attempts and finished with 10 points.
 
Austin Dyer had 13 points to lead Azusa Pacific (2-1).
 
Cal State LA shot just 32.7 percent (16-of-49) and was just 6-of-25 in the second half. Azusa Pacific shot 37.3 percent for the game (19-of-51), including a 43.5 percent effort in the second half.
 
Cal State LA had a 36-35 rebounding edge and had 19 turnovers to 18 for the Cougars.
 
Cal State LA was 10-of-13 from the free-throw line, while Azusa Pacific was 12-of-20.
 
The Golden Eagles took a 29-22 lead late in the first half on a basket by Dushon Carter and settled for a 29-24 advantage at halftime.
 
A 3-pointer by Munson pushed the Golden Eagles ahead, 40-39, with 7:30 to go, but that was the last time Cal State LA would lead. A layup by Bobby Miles tied it for Cal State LA at 42-42 with four minutes to play, but Azusa Pacific scored the next seven points, including a big 3-pointer by Bruce English with 2:50 to go.
 
Justin Snavely had a team-high seven rebounds to go along with a 3-pointer, but Miles had a team-high seven assists and three steals.
 
Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with a game at Northwest Nazarene beginning at 2 p.m.