OAKLAND, Calif. – An efficient effort on Thursday night sets up a first place contest in less than 48 hours.
Azusa Pacific won their eighth straight against Holy Names with a 78-54 triumph in the first of three road games in the Bay Area.
With the win the Cougars are ready for a showdown with PacWest leading Academy of Art Saturday at 1 p.m. The Urban Knights will come into the game without a loss in their 10 league games.
Despite some foul trouble early, Kelly Hardeman played one of her most efficient scoring games in a Cougar uniform. The senior connected on eight of her 15 field goal attempts en route to a game high 22 points, with 17 of them coming in the second quarter, in just 19 minutes. Hardeman connected on three shots from beyond the three-point line.
Miriam Zabinsky scored 16 points in 28 minutes of floor time. Joelle Tampien came off the bench and nailed four three-pointers as all 12 of her points came from long range.
The Cougars, who came into the contest ranked 25th in the nation, defense was on point all night as they forced Holy Names (5-14, 4-7) into 28 turnovers. Azusa Pacific posted a 30-12 edge in points off turnovers. Zabinsky had a team high five steals while Elena Ala had four of the team's 15.
Leading 15-13 after the first quarter, the Cougars increased their lead into double figures in the second quarter. Despite falling behind briefly 21-18 early in the frame, Azusa Pacific (14-3, 8-1 PacWest) went on an 18-4 scoring spurt to grab control of the contest.
The Cougars long range game was solid during the first 20 minutes as they connected on six of their 13 attempts led by Tampien's three made buckets from behind the arc.
Holy Names stayed within striking distance but never made a serious threat as the third quarter got underway. The home team never got their deficit beneath 12 points before the Cougars flexed their power. Leading 49-37, Azusa Pacific scored 10 unanswered points to all but seal the win. The Cougars took their largest lead of the game, 74-44, with four minutes left in the game.
For Holy Names, Garysha Youngblood scored a team best 20 points.
