AZUSA, Calif.-- Monica Somers had a game-high 24 points, including 5 in a 7-0 second half run to lead the NAIA’s No. 18-ranked Azusa Pacific to a 78-72 Golden State Athletic Conference win over visiting Westmont Tuesday night in Azusa.

The win is the Cougars’ second straight and moves them to 5-2 overall, 2-0 GSAC. Westmont falls to 3-6, 1-1.

The Warriors took their first lead since the 8:16 mark of the first half after a 9-2 run midway through the second half that gave them a 57-56 lead with 6:41 to play. At that point, though, the Cougars scored 7 straight points, the last 5 coming from a Somers pull-up jumper on the break and her second trey of the night on their next possession.

“Monica is a gamer,” said Azusa Pacific head coach Danelle Liles. “When the game is on the line, she is one of those players that can take the game to where we need it to go, and we have great confidence in her shooting ability.”

When the dust had settled, the Cougars had regained control with a 63-57 lead with 5:33 to play.

Lindsey Rice finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and hit 2 key free throws after Westmont cut the deficit down to 1 (69-68) with 2:00 to play. The Warriors scored 6 straight points, but Rice put an end to the run at the free throw line. They were the first of 8 straight Cougar points that put the game away.

“They began to kill us inside, and it took us out of our game, but we refocused and got the job done,” said Liles.

The teams exchanged leads 6 times in the first half to go along with 6 other ties. The Cougars led 29-27 with 4:39 to play when Somers hit the first of her 2 treys to spark the Cougars to a 13-3 run to end the first half giving the Cougars a 42-30 lead at the break. The Cougars did most of their damage in the run at the free throw line hitting all 6 of their attempts.

“We are all about system integrity and staying within our system,” said Liles. “The key for us was pressuring them into turnovers. Our defense created much of our offense, especially at the end of the first half.”

Azusa Pacific forced Westmont into 28 turnovers, scoring 34 points off them. The Cougars hit 25-of-29 free throws, including 9-of-12 in the final minute and a half. Kelsey Hudson also added 15 points and 4 rebounds.