AZUSA, CALIF. -- On the strength of some timely 3-point baskets, the NAIA's No. 10-ranked Vanguard rallied to knock off No. 20-ranked Azusa Pacific, 63-52, in the first of at least 2 meetings this season between the defending GSAC co-champs.

After missing 22 of their first 29 shots to fall behind by as much as 10 points at 30-20, the Lions finally found their shooting touch and made 13 of their final 24 shots (.542), including 6-of-11 3-pointers to seal the victory. Junior guard Marisa Emde led the way, scoring 9 of her 14 points in the second half, and hitting a trey to get Vanguard on its second-half surge after the Lions suffered through a near 4-minute scoreless lapse. Sophomore center Kelly Boeke tallied a team-high 15 points to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Lions canned 5 3-pointers in the second half and none was bigger than Paulette Seaman's with 3:35 remaining that gave Vanguard a 50-47 lead that it would not relinquish. For Seaman, who was plagued by foul trouble much of the night, it was her only basket of the game. The Lions made 7-of-8 free throws in the final 47 seconds to keep Azusa Pacific at bay.

Azusa Pacific was paced by freshman Allison Box, who tossed in 16 points, but was just 6-for-16 from the floor, her poorest shooting effort this season. The Cougars hurts their chances of getting the upper hand in the GSAC race by missing 9 of 14 free throws .

Nerves got the best of both teams in the first half. Before Azusa Pacific could settle on its largest first half lead, a 26-20 halftime cushion, the 2 teams combined for 31 turnovers while missing 33 of 52 shots. Vanguard struggled from the floor, making just 7-of-26 (27%) shots, and Azusa Pacific was a strain at the charity stripe, making just 1 of 6 free throws. Through it all, Azusa Pacific's Jessica Herman managed to collect 8 first half points to go along with 5 rebounds. Boeke tallied 10 points and 8 boards through the first 20 minutes. Vanguard led just twice in the first half, 2-0 to start the game on a pair of Boeke free throws, and then 15-14 after Laura Lee nailed a 3-pointer with 6:03 remaining.

Vanguard pushes its winning streak to 6 straight and is now 12-2 on the season, 1-0 in the GSAC. Azusa Pacific has its 6-game winning streak snapped and suffers its first loss at home since Jan. 29, 1999, ending a 10-game home-court winning streak. Azusa Pacific falls to 9-3 overall, 0-1 in the GSAC.