LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's basketball team turned in an outstanding second-half performance to pick up a big home victory Tuesday night in University Gym.

Cal State LA (1-2) limited Azusa Pacific to just 26.5 percent shooting in the second half and went on to a 69-59 victory over the PacWest Conference preseason favorites. The Cougars (1-2) held a 30-27 halftime lead, but the Golden Eagles outscored them, 42-29, over the final 20 minutes to earn the victory. 

Payton Moore led a balanced offensive attack with 14 points and five rebounds, while Shane Bell had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

McKelary Robertson had 15 points for Azusa Pacific, while Ken West had 12 points.

Alexander Sokol had 10 points and three assists for the Golden Eagles, while Deuce Walker had nine points and Dominic Escobar and Cyrus Johnson had eight points each.

Cal State LA shot 49 percent for the game (24-of-49) and shot 58 percent in the second half (14-of-24). The Golden Eagles were also 17-of-20 from the free-throw line.

The story of the game, though, was Cal State LA's defense, especially in the second half. Azusa Pacific shot 35.1 percent for the game (20-of-57), but made only nine baskets in the second half, including a 4-of-20 clip from 3-point range. Cal State LA held Azusa Pacific without a point for nearly seven minutes while erasing a 43-41 deficit and turning it into a 55-43 edge. The Golden Eagles held the Cougars without a basket for more than nine minutes until a layup by West made it 60-52 with 2:21 to go.

Moore gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good when he nailed a 3-pointer to make it 44-43 with 11:54 to go. Four straight points from Walker, two dunks from Bell and a three-point play from Jared Pearre gave the Golden Eagles a 55-43 lead with six minutes to go and accounted for a game-turning 14-0 run.

Cal State LA led by at least six points the rest of the way and took its biggest lead at 67-54 after a pair of free throws by Sokol with 21 seconds left.

Cal State LA will return to action with a home game against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday at 7 p.m.