WHITTIER, CALIF. -- After suffering 4 straight defeats at the hands of Vanguard, Azusa Pacific captured its first-ever GSAC Tournament championship by knocking off the nemesis Lions, 77-71, Wednesday evening.
Though both teams knew they had already clinched berths into next week's NAIA Championship Tournament in Jackson, Tenn., the game was nonetheless a momentum builder for the winner, and the NAIA's No. 21-ranked Azusa Pacific certainly needed it after losing the GSAC regular season title to Vanguard on the final day of the regular season.
ãWe knew we had qualified for nationals, but we wanted Vanguard,ä said Allison Box, who recorded 14 points and 7 rebounds. ãWe knew we could do it, and this was an outstanding team win.ä
The Cougars, who ended the regular season with the best 3-point shooting percentage (.413) in the GSAC, was unsuccessful in its only 3-point attempt of the game.
ãI don't think we felt like our options were limited,ä said Cougar head coach Danielle Jorgenson. ãI don't think Vanguard has really ever seen us be that confident and aggressive offensively.ä
With the Cougars holding a slim 60-59 lead with 8:43 remaining in the game, Catherine Solorio scored the first 4 points of a 9-0 run that gave the Cougars their largest cushion at 69-59 with 5:29 to play in the game.
The Lions answered with 6 straight points, cutting the deficit to 69-65 with 3:30 left. However, Jennifer Barbone put the Cougars back up by 6 with a lay-up, and the Lions could not get any closer than 5 points the rest of the way.
Four Cougars scored in double figures, led by a 15-point performance from Barbone, who also recorded 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Solorio added 11, and Beth Centlivre scored 11 of her season-high 13 points in the first half.
"They gave me the opportunity to drive, so I did," said Centlivre. "Everyone else did a good job of getting me open."
The all-around team effort helped offset the play of Lions center Kelly Boeke, who tallied game-highs of 23 points and 11 rebounds. Laura Lee hit 4 of her 6 3-pointers in the second half and finished with 18 points.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 26-6, while Vanguard drops to 28-6.
Pairings for next week's national tournament will be announced Wednesday, March 8.
