AZUSA, CALIF. -- The NAIA's No. 18-ranked Azusa Pacific held on to its 2-game advantage over Westmont in the GSAC standings with a 76-68 victory over Vanguard Tuesday night in Azusa.
 
Junior guard Jacqueline Godoy, who leads the team in scoring, scored all 17 of her points in the second half, including 8 straight free throws in the final 44 seconds to seal the victory. Godoy also scored 7 straight points in less than 90 seconds after Vanguard had closed to within 4 points at 50-46 with 7:58 remaining in the game. Vanguard never got closer 6 points for the rest of the contest.
 
"At that point, we wanted to get into an offensive rhythm where we could break them down and Godoy could do those kinds of things," said Cougar head coach Danielle Jorgenson. "We didn't do a good job of that until the end of the game."
 
Junior guard Catherine Solorio led all players with 20 points while collecting 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals to her night's work.
 
The Cougars had a chance to run away and hide in the opening half but they missed 5 shots in the key along with a pair of put-backs. Uncharacteristically, they committed 14 first-half turnovers.  Despite the sloppy display, Azusa Pacific held a 36-28 lead at intermission.
 
In defense of the Cougars, they played the final 11 minutes of the half without Godoy who was saddled with 2 early fouls. In her replacement, Solorio led the way with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in just 14 minutes of play.
 
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 10-0 in GSAC play, 14-5 overall, while Vanguard drops to 6-4 in conference play, 13-6 overall.