AZUSA, Calif. -- Leading by just 1 (39-38) just 35 seconds into the second half, the NAIA's No. 23-ranked Azusa Pacific scored 17 straight points, 10 of them from senior All-GSAC Stephanie Patten, over the next 8 minutes to boat race to a key 79-63 victory over visiting Concordia.
 
The win is the Cougars' second straight and fourth in the past 5 games, and it enables them to keep pace with Fresno Pacific atop the GSAC standings.  It is also the tenth time in the past 11 GSAC games in which the Cougars held their opponents below 70 points.
 
Concordia, which kept the game close in the first 20 minutes, managed to hit just 8 shots in the second half, 4 of them from the 3-point line, which enabled the Cougars to surge ahead. Azusa Pacific, the GSAC's best defensive unit, limited Concordia, the GSAC's third best 3-point shooting team, to just 27% (18-for-67) shooting from the floor and 8-of-30 from beyond the arc.
 
"Our defensive intensity picked up in the second half, and contested their 3-point shots," said Azusa Pacific head coach Matt Elofson. "The last 7 games we have been focusing on defense, and focusing on getting great shot opportunities, and that's what we got tonight. I don't think this team feels any pressure.  It's a very loose group.  We are just taking it one game at a time."
 
Senior GSAC Player of the Year Jacqueline Godoy did her part in forging the Cougars' ahead.  She had yet another career night, finishing with 21 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals.
 
"Jackie played an absolutely great game," said Elofson. "She did a fine job pushing the ball up the court, which is what we wanted to do, since we didn't think they could keep up."
 
Concordia held an early 8-6 lead when the Cougars answered with 8 straight points to take a 14-8 lead just 8 minutes in.  The Eagles, keyed by 8 points from Maree Vincent, cut the lead down to 1 (18-17), but the Cougars responded with an 8-2 run to open up its largest lead of the half (26-19) with 6:58 to play.  The Cougars led 28-21 when the Eagles used a 10-2 run to take a 1-point lead (31-30).  Godoy then scored the Cougars' final 8 points of the half to give the Cougars a 3-point (38-35) halftime advantage.
 
Patten finished with a game-high 23 points, hitting 8-of-13 shots from the floor and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.  She also grabbed 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double in 5 games.  Senior Catherine Solorio and junior Marcene Guerrero eached chipped in with 12 points.  Vincent led the Eagles with 20 points, but hit just 6-of-28 shots.
 
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 19-7, 13-4.  Concordia falls to 19-8, 9-8.