Box Score AZUSA, Calif. – It was a day of good byes while looking forward to the next challenge. 

Azusa Pacific led from the get-go as they closed out the regular season with a 67-49 victory over Fresno Pacific on Saturday afternoon.

The win secured the No. 4 seed for next week's PacWest postseason tournament hosted by Concordia at the CU Arena in Irvine. Azusa Pacific (18-9, 14-6 PacWest) will play on Thursday at 1:45 p.m. The Cougars opponent for that contest will be Academy of Art or BYU-Hawaii. 

It was the final home game for a pair of seniors as Lisha Elsenbach and Katie Powell were honored for their contributions to the program.

"I can't say enough about what Katie Powell has meant to this program. She truly embodies what we want this program to be all about," head coach T.J. Hardeman said. "Lisha has been a steady player since transferring here. She has always given us a 100 percent effort each time she steps on the court."

"I couldn't have asked for anything better for my final years of college basketball," Elsenbach said. "Coach Hardeman really emphasizes having fun on the court but also working hard and that's been a great fit for me."

"This program has really taught me a lot especially about the concept of team work and playing with humility," Powell said. "We focus on working together and not playing as individual. It has been great to be a part of that." 

On Saturday, the Cougars never trailed from the opening tip. Less than 12 minutes into the game Azusa Pacific had 16-6 lead as the Sunbirds connect on just three of their first 11 shots. During the remainder of the half, Fresno Pacific couldn't get their deficit under seven points as the home team went into the locker room with a 36-25 edge.

During the opening 20 minutes, Fresno Pacific (6-19, 6-14) converted on just 21.9 percent (7-for-32) of their field goal attempts. Strong play inside was also a major factor in the Cougars 11-point halftime lead. Azusa Pacific outscored the visitors 16-6 in the paint while holding an 11-0 advantage in second chance scoring. The Cougars held a 29-18 rebounding edge. 

Fresno Pacific made a brief comeback spurt to start the second half as they scored seven of the first 10 points. With 15:56 left, the Sunbirds were down 39-32. Azusa Pacific would have nothing to do with a comeback on the afternoon as they went on a 9-2 scoring run to regain a double figure edge at 48-34 four minutes later.  

The Sunbirds were never able to close the gap as Azusa Pacific cruised down the stretch. 

Azusa Pacific finished the game with an excellent presence on the low block. They held a plus-18 edge on the board which led to a 22-2 advantage in second chance scoring. They doubled-up Fresno Pacific for points in the paint (36-18). 

Kelly Hardeman recorded her 15th double-double of the season as the junior scored a team high 14 points while corralling a contest best 17 rebounds. 

Lauren Gilster came off the bench to score 13 points on a 6-for-11 effort from the floor in just 13 minutes. Maggie Dumphy and Cydnie Jones each tallied 10-point afternoon's.

Jenay Herring had a game high 15 points for the Sunbirds.