AZUSA, Calif. -- The NAIA's No. 23- ranked Azusa Pacific gained its 12^th win of the season with a 70-56 victory over previous GSAC front-runner Vanguard. The Cougars were led by All-GSAC Jacqueline Godoy's game-high 22 points (6-of-12 from the floor) including 10-out-of-15 from the free throw line.
 
With the win, the Cougars moved into a tie for first place in the GSAC with Fresno Pacific. Earlier today, Fresno Pacific defeated Point Loma, 75-68, earning their sixth win, but the Cougars were able to keep pace with the convincing win over Vanguard.
 
"I was real pleased with the way we played for about 30 minutes tonight," said Cougar head coach, Matt Elofson. "I told the girls that as the season goes along we need to play a more consistent game for 40 minutes and we are starting to get there. We knew Vanguard would have a difficult time with our full-court pressure because they did not have a true point guard. We figured that the pressure would eventually get to them."
 
Along with Godoy, fellow All-GSAC members Catherine Solorio and Stephanie Patten who scored 16 and 12 points, respectively, led the Cougars.  Solorio scored only 6 points in the second half, but capped off her scoring by nailing a 3-point bucket with 11:40 left in the game to increase the Cougar's lead to 19 (57-38).Ê Godoy capped off a great night by hitting a free throw, and then on the next possession nailed a 3-pointer giving the Cougar's their largest led of the game at 60-38 with 10:41 left in the game.
 
After opening the game on fire, Azusa Pacific cooled off shooting only 47% (27-out-of-57) for the game. During the game, the Cougars defense forced 23 Lion turnovers led by Godoy's 6 steals.
 
The Lions were led by All-GSAC Kelly Boeke who scored 12 points (3-out-of-12) and pulled down a team-high 9 rebounds. Along with Boeke, Deborah Candelaria scored 10 points including 6 in the second half.
 
The Cougars opened the game shooting 87% (12-out-of-15) during the first 10 minutes of the game on their way to a 16-point lead (28-12) midway through the first half. Senior Beth Centlivre led the charge making two 3-point buckets in a 5-minute span for her only scoring of the game. Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, the Cougars outscored the Lions by 2 points to an 18-point lead (44-26) into the locker room. Godoy and Solorio, who scored 14 and 10 points respectively, led the Cougars.
 
With the win, the Cougars improve to 12-4 on the season, 6-2 in the GSAC, while the Lions fall to 9-6 overall, 6-3 in the GSAC.