AZUSA, Calif. -- After building a 13 point lead with 3 minutes remaining, Fresno Pacific held off a 12-0 run by Azusa Pacific to escape with a 69-68 Golden State Athletic Conference victory Saturday evening in Azusa.

The Cougars dug themselves in a hole by committing 13 turnovers in the second half and going 8 minutes without scoring a field goal in the middle of that half. During that 8 minute span, Azusa Pacific scored just 4 points, all on free throws.

Fresno Pacific was led by Gail Dennis who had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Runisha Jackson also added 11 points and 6 rebounds. For Azusa Pacific, Amy Lemm led the way with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Danna Wilder had 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

The victory for the Sunbirds marks the fifth straight win over the Cougars and they have now won 7 of the past 9 meetings. The Cougar loss snaps their 3-game winning streak.

In a tight, fast paced first half that featured 6 ties and 8 lead changes, Fresno Pacific built up a 5 point advantage at the break (42-37). The Sunbirds largest lead was 6 points (35-29), while the Cougars' biggest lead was 1 (8-7). Dennis scored 12 of her final 20 points in the opening 20 minutes.

With the win, Fresno Pacific improves to 13-12 overall, 3-2 in the GSAC, while Azusa Pacific falls to 13-8 overall, 2-3 in conference play.