AZUSA, CALIF. -- Sophomore center Jennifer Barbone scored 19 second half points and a team-high 21 for the game to lead Azusa Pacific back from an 8-point halftime deficit and beat Concordia, 72-65, in the semifinals of the GSAC Women's Postseason Basketball Tournament Friday night in Azusa.
Concordia led 42-32 with 17:47 remaining in the game when Barbone went on a tear, scoring 18 of the Cougars' next 27 points to spur a 25-6 run and take a 57-48 lead with 8:08 to play.
"The past 3 games I've been working on solid defense so I can stay in the game longer," said Barbone. "The posts and the guards are communicating better now."
Barbone canned 8-of-13 shots and pulled down 5 rebounds.
Azusa Pacific also did the job defensively, holding the Eagles to just 12-for-35 shooting in the second half for 34 percent. The Cougars held Concordia's leading scorer, Priscilla Bendik, to just 6 points.
The Cougars overcame 15 first-half turnovers by only committing 4 in the second half. Azusa Pacific converted just 9 field goals in the opening 20 minutes thanks to its miscues. The Cougars kept themselves in the game by outscoring Concordia 12-1 from the charity stripe in the first half.
"A big contributor to why we didn't get shots in the first half was the amount of turnovers we had," said Jorgenson. "In the second half the guards did an excellent job getting the ball inside to the posts."
Azusa Pacific had 4 players score in double figures, with Alison Carr adding 16 points, Kelly Speas with 12 points and Amy Lemm with 10 points. Speas had a team-high 8 rebounds.
For Concordia, Jaime Gast picked up the scoring slack, tallying a game-high 27 points. Taryn Commins added 14 points. Bendik had a game-high 9 boards.
Concordia pushed its lead to as many as 10 in the first half (29-19) but the tide turned when Gast picked up a personal and then a technical foul with 4:30 left in the half. Lemm hit four straight free throws to pull the Cougars back to within 2 (29-27). The Eagles then proceeded to go on a 9-3 run over the final 4 minutes to take an 8-point halftime lead (38-30).
In the other GSAC semifinal, defending GSAC champ So. Cal College defeated Fresno Pacific, 67-59. The Cougars now face the Vanguards in the GSAC Tournament title game Monday night in Costa Mesa.
With the win, the Cougars improve to 24-7 overall, while Concordia finishes its season at 17-12 overall.
