AZUSA, Calif. -- Down by 9 points early in the second half, Fresno Pacific changed is defensive strategy, employing a zone defense that frustrated Azusa Pacific and that resulted in NAIA's No. 25-ranked Sunbirds rallying for an 82-73 victory over the No. 20-ranked Cougars.
 
The loss is Azusa Pacific's first-ever in the year-old Felix Event Center, snapping the Cougars' 15-game winning streak in the facility.
 
Senior center Annie Taylor scored 10 of her game-high 21 points during a 16-6 Sunbird run that turned a 48-39 Fresno Pacific deficit into a 55-54 lead with 8:50 to play. After a pair of lead changes, Fresno Pacific took the lead for good a Annie Taylor jumper that initiated a 14-7 run in which the Sunbirds took advantage of a porous Cougar post defense.
 
"Going to the zone was the turning point in the game,ä said Fresno Pacific coach Diane Wiese. "We had a lot of people in foul trouble and to keep our big players on the floor, we had to go to the zone to cut on reaching fouls and Azusa Pacific's dribble penetration."
 
Taylor scored 15 second-half points on 6-for-8 shooting, lead a Sunbird squad that canned 52% of its shots in the final 20 minutes of the game.
 
The Cougars led 38-35 at halftime after using a 12-0 run to overcome a 33-25 deficit with 6 minutes to play. Godoy led the comeback charge scoring 6 points during the run. In the meantime, Fresno Pacific was just 1-for-6 from the floor over the final 7 minutes of the half, committing 5 turnovers in the process that allowed Azusa Pacific to retake the lead. Azusa Pacific's post play of Stephanie Patten (12 points) and Ruth Taylor (11) combined for 23 of the Cougars' 38 first-half points.
 
Azusa Pacific opened the second-half with a 10-2 run to enjoy its biggest lead of the game at 48-39.Ê All-American Jacqueline Godoy tallied 14 of her team-high 21 points in the second half, taking charge early in the second half and then again late in the game when the Cougars found themselves in a desperation mode down by 8 with 6 minutes to play.  Godoy scored on 3 successive baseline lay-up but could never get the Cougars closer than 5 points in the waning minutes.
 
"We only shot 33% in the second half and giving up 82 points doesn't help," said Cougar coach Matt Elofson. "We have to play defense to win, and we didn't tonight."
 
With the victory, Fresno Pacific snaps a 6-game losing streak to the defending GSAC champion Cougars. Maurecia Clark finished with 14 points while All-GSAC forward Teresa Kamps added 13 points and a game-high 9 rebounds.
 
With the loss, Azusa Pacific falls out of first place in the GSAC and now trails Point Loma Nazarene by a half game. The Cougars are 9-4 overall, 3-2 in the GSAC. Fresno Pacific improves to 13-4 overall, 4-2 in the GSAC.