AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific used a pair of first-half runs to overcome a sluggish start and defeat Claremont-Scripps, 91-67, in a nonconference game in Azusa early Saturday afternoon.
With Azusa Pacific up 19-17 with 9 minutes left in the first half, the Cougars went on a 16-6 run to assume a 35-23 lead with 4:40 on the clock. Senior center Alison Carr came off the bench to score 6 of her 13 points during the run. The Cougars then closed the half with a 13-4 run to take a commanding 50-32 lead into the locker room at the half. Starting senior forward Jessica Herman scored 7 of her 8 points during the Cougars' second run.
From there the Cougars ran and hid, leading by as much as 28 points (85-57 with 4:40 left in the second half). Junior guard Amy Lemm led Azusa Pacific with a game-high 19 points, including 12 in the first half. Freshman reserve guard Beth Centlivre chipped in a career-high 17 and added another career-high 11 assists.
Claremont-Scripps, which led just once at 5-4 just 4 minutes into the game, was paced by Rebekah Chee's 17 points, thanks in part to 4-for-7 shooting from the 3-point arc.
The Cougar defense, which held the Athenas to just 37% (22-for-60) shooting, forced 30 Claremont-Scripps turnovers.
With the win, Azusa Pacific has now won 4 straight to improve to 6-1 on the season. Claremont-Scripps falls to 2-3.
