SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Azusa Pacific's first chapter of NCAA Division II playoff history was etched with a 34-21 defeat to undefeated Sioux Falls on a snowy Saturday afternoon.

Sioux Falls held the Cougar offense in check for most of the first three quarters, surrendering late touchdowns in the second and third quarters which kept Azusa Pacific within striking distance. However, USF's poised performance down the stretch helped maintain a two-score cushion throughout the second half.

With the defeat, Azusa Pacific finished the season with a 9-3 overall record, while Sioux Falls improved to 12-0 and advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs.

Sioux Falls scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a commanding 21-0 lead before junior quarterback Andrew Elffers capitalized on USF's only major mistake when he turned a fumbled punt return into a momentum-turning touchdown pass to Weston Carr in the closing seconds of the first half.

Sioux Falls answered after the halftime break, extending the lead to 24-7 after grinding out a 16-play, 66-yard drive which drained over seven minutes off the clock with the opening second-half possession. The USF defense forced a three-and-out to give the ball back to its offense, which led to a 10-play, 51-yard drive which lasted 4:47 and gave Sioux Falls another field goal for a 27-7 lead with 1:09 remaining in the third quarter.

Elffers finally got the Azusa Pacific offense moving, using a pair of keepers along with a Sioux Falls personal foul to get the Cougars near midfield. From there, he found Carr downfield for a 53-yard scoring strike that trimmed the margin to 27-14 on the final play of the third quarter.

Sioux Falls answered again by putting its entire offense on the shoulders of running back Max Mickey, who gained a 22-yard chunk on the first play of the drive and finished it with a 51-yard scoring burst to extend the lead to 34-14 with 11:55 remaining in the game.

Christian McFarland returned a short kickoff into USF territory, setting up a six-play drive capped by Ethan Zeidler's tiptoe catch in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown, again pulling the Cougars within two scores at 34-21 with 9:10 to play.

Sioux Falls was able to convert a pair of first downs before giving the ball back to the Azusa Pacific offense with under four minutes to play, and the Cougars' last chance at a comeback met an aggressive USF defense. Sioux Falls dropped Kurt Scoby for a three-yard loss on first down, sacked Elffers on second down, and forced incompletions on the final two plays to get the ball back on downs before bleeding out the final 2:23.

Azusa Pacific was limited to 178 yards of total offense, although the Cougars were opportunistic in their scoring drives to keep the game within reach. Elffers completed six-of-20 passes for 112 yards, although three of his completions went for touchdowns. Carr's only two receptions were his scoring catches, which totaled 68 yards. Hunter Malberg led the defense with a game-high 11 tackles, including one of the Cougars' six tackles for loss, and Taliuaki Suliafu added 10 tackles with a fumble recovery on the muffed punt that led to a score late in the first half.

Sioux Falls was led by Mickey, who rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries to lead a powerful USF ground attack which produced 318 yards rushing.