Box Score AZUSA, Calif. – What started out so well, ended badly for Azusa Pacific.
The Cougars couldn't hold an 18-point lead as Westmont rallied furiously in the final quarter to post a 71-65 victory on Tuesday night.
Fueling the Westmont rally was a vastly improved shooting effort over the final two quarters. After hitting just 28.6 percent of their shots in the opening 20 minutes, they closed the game by nailing half of their final 30 field goal attempts; including five of their nine shots from behind the arc. Also aiding in the rally was a 16-for-21 effort at the charity stripe compared to just a 6-of-8 performance at the foul line from the Cougars.
Westmont, which came into the game ranked as the No. 5 team in the NAIA, was led by Lauren McCoy's 16-point, 13-rebound evening. All but one of her points came in the second half.
Cydnie Jones recorded a double-double in the loss by scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Kelly Hardeman also recorded a 15-point contest.
The game started to swing in the Cougars favor at the start of the second quarter. Already leading 17-11, Azusa Pacific scored the first eight points of the frame and eventually took a 29-13 edge at the first stoppage of the quarter. During that opening spurt in the quarter Westmont made just one field goal and had five turnovers. Azusa Pacific (5-1) eventually took a 33-20 lead into the locker room.
Westmont came out as the aggressor to start a high scoring third period, closing a 13-point deficit to eight points twice but not closer as each team scored 22 points in the frame. The Warriors (6-1) started the fourth quarter by hitting six of their first eight attempts as they tied the score at 57-57 with just over five minutes left in the contest.
The Warriors took the lead for good when Cora Chan drained a three-pointer with 3:54. It was the only lead change of the game. Westmont held the Cougars to two field goals down the stretch to pull away for the victory.
During the final 10 minutes, the Warriors outscored the home team 29-10 to complete the comeback.
The Cougars will look to get back into the win column on Friday, taking on Cal State San Bernardino at UC San Diego at 3:30 p.m.
