Phoenix, AZ- Featuring a roster of 12 new faces, Arizona Christian pulled away from West Coast Baptist for an 88-74 victory on Saturday.  Senior Chris Sterling- one of only four or five returners- picked up where he left off last season and was once again ACU's leading scorer with a game high 24 points.

Junior newcomer Jason Smarr made his presence felt as he buried a three pointer 27 seconds into the season.

The Eagles (0-2) responded with a 4-0 exchange to move ahead for the first time in the contest.  The teams played back and forth for the first four minutes which resulted in a 9-9 tie.

But when Junior Andy Sessions knocked down a couple of free throws the Firestorm (1-0) moved back in front for what turned out to be the remainder of the afternoon.  In fact, ACU built as large as a 17 point lead before the first half came to a close.

Senior Shy McClelland topped with nine first half points.

After the break, WCB climbed all the way back within two on three occasions with the final time coming with eight and a half minutes remaining in the final 20 minutes.

However, Sterling scored six of the next eight points to move the Firestorm ahead by 10 and Junior Matt Willkomm also gave ACU a 10 point edge with an "and one" layup and free throw.  A pair of free throws from Sophomore Carter Wilson pushed ACU into double digit territory for good.

Sterling cashed in 20 of his 24 points after the break.  McClelland added 16 total points while pulling down a game high nine rebounds in his first ACU game.

Head Coach Jeff Rutter commented, "We didn't shoot very well tonight. Our defense jump started most of our offense.  We saw some very good things but we were too inconsistent with our focus, communication, and execution."

Coach Rutter added, "With so many new guys, it's to be expected, but we really need to find some consistency on the defensive end.  Fortunately, we have several practices and a couple exhibition games in the next couple weeks to take some steps forward."

The next game on the schedule will come as part of homecoming next weekend as the Firestorm will host Chico State in an exhibition on Friday night.  The game will tipoff at 8:00 pm to accommodate some homecoming events ahead of the game.