AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific's presence in the post was too much as 6-foot-1 post players Alison Carr and Jessica Herman combined for 28 points and 26 rebounds to lead the Cougars past Whittier College, 97-36, in a nonconference women's basketball game Saturday evening.
However, the win could be costly as the third member in the tallest Cougar trio in program history, 6-foot-3 sophomore Jennifer Barbone, went down with a knee injury with 12 minutes left in the game.
For the second straight contest, all 12 Cougars played and scored, while 5 Azusa Pacific players scored in double figures. Carr and guard Amy Lemm each tallied 16 points, while forward Danna Wilder came off the bench to score 14 in Barbone's absence.
Kim Taylor was the only Poet in double figures with 12 points. Pam Loud pulled down a team-high 6 rebounds.
After Kim Taylor knocked down a 3-pointer to give Whittier a 3-0 lead out of the gate, Azusa Pacific responded with a 25-2 run to lead 25-5 with 10:13 left in the first half. During that stretch, the Poets committed 11 turnovers and went 2-for-9 from the field. Carr led the Cougars in the first half with 11 points and 8 rebounds. The Azusa Pacific defense forced 18 Whittier turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play and out-rebounded the Poets, 29-14.
Azusa Pacific pounded the Poets on the boards, out-rebounding Whittier, 61-28, led by Herman with 14. The Cougars had more offensive rebounds (31) than defensive (30). The Cougar defense also forced 39 Poet turnovers and held Whittier to just 29 percent (15-for-52) shooting from the floor.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 8-1, its second consecutive 8-1 start. Whittier falls to 2-3 on the season. The Cougars return to action next Friday night when they host Northwest Nazarene at 5:30 p.m..
