Phoenix, AZ- On Wednesday, Arizona Christian used 51 first half points to set up their 94-82 win over San Diego Christian.  Junior Torrian Epps equaled his jersey number with 24 points in a game that turned into a free throw-a-thon.

The Hawks (4-13, 1-7 GSAC) struck first before Epps nailed a three pointer for the Firestorm (14-8, 2-6 GSAC).  SDCC scored the next three points.  Epps countered with the next six points- an "and one" and another three pointer.  Junior Callum Lawson made the score 11-6.  San Diego Christian tied the game at 11-11.

But Lawson scored the next four points and Senior Sam Finley converted a jumper for a 17-11 ACU edge.

After the Hawks closed the gap to 23-21, arguably the biggest stretch of the game was the 10-0 effort that the Firestorm answered with over the next three minutes.  Freshman Johannes Menzel and Epps both splashed in a three ball.

With 12 seconds left in the half, ACU built a 20 point lead- their largest of the half.  They settled for a 51-33 advantage headed to the locker room.

Epps topped all scorers with 19 points in the first 20 minutes on 7-7 shooting including 3-3 from behind the arc.

Twenty-six points with 15:39 to play was the biggest difference on the scoreboard.  SDCC eventually cut their deficit to just seven points before the final 12 point spread.

But along the way the free throw-a-thon kicked into high gear.  After combining for just 17 fouls and 17 free throws in the first half, those numbers exploded to 72 combined attempts at the line and 56 fouls by game's end.

Five players reached double figures for the Firestorm.  Behind the 24 for Epps, Finley added 14 points.  Lawson was next with 13 points and a game high eight rebounds.  Senior Matt Willkomm reached 12 points with Junior Carter Wilson scoring 10 points.

The Hawks had four in double digits with Derek Novsek and Anthony Gonzalez leading the way with 16 points.

Next up for the Firestorm will be a trip to Vanguard in Costa Mesa, CA, on Saturday.  Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 pm PT/ 5:00 pm AT.  The Hawks will host Hope International at 7:30 pm PT.