SAN DIEGO – New faces in a new place but chalk one up into the win column.
Despite holding an early lead, Azusa Pacific had to overcame a late deficit to post a 70-68 win against Cal State Dominguez Hills in both teams season opener at the CCAA/PacWest Challenge hosted at Point Loma.
With virtually a brand new roster from last season, the Cougar starting five had never started a game in an Azusa Pacific uniform prior to Friday's game. Leading the way in the score column was Abigail Goodsell's 22 points. A trio of Cougars added double digit-point evenings as Tara Casey (10), Gabrielle Kaiser (14) and Zoe March (10) were welcomed to the program.
Azusa Pacific overcame a 27-turnover evening by limiting the Toros to a 38.2 field goal percentage. Cal State Dominguez Hills was something of their own worst enemy as they went 13-for-28 from the charity stripe.
Post Game Comments from head coach T.J. Hardeman
The Cougars could not have asked for a better start. Just over seven minutes into the season, they forced Cal State Dominguez Hills into nine turnovers which they converted into 13 points en route to a 17-4 lead. Despite cooling off a bit and committing 10 team fouls, Azusa Pacific held a 19-9 lead after the first quarter.
Some of the sloppiness the Cougars had during the final moments of the first quarter became more evident during the second quarter and as the game wore-on. Azusa Pacific committed seven turnovers as the Toros won the stanza by 10 points to tie the contest heading into halftime 32-32.
Cal State Dominguez Hills took their first lead of the game (38-36) during the early minutes of the third quarter when Imari Brown hit a mid-range jumper. The Cougars responded using the hot shooting hand of Goodsell. The junior scored 13 points in the quarter as her team took a 54-50 advantage into the final stanza.
Azusa Pacific started the final frame in fine fashion as they went ahead 63-57. The Toros brushed aside their deficit and culminated a 10-3 scoring spurt when Kayla Gillett nailed a three-pointer to give her team three-point lead with 1:14 left. After a Goodsell lay-in and a defensive stand, the Cougars worked for a good shot on the last possession down one point.
During the final sequence Kaiser drew a foul and went to the foul line with 10.9 seconds left. The forward drained both free throws to give the Cougars a 68-67 lead. On their ensuing possession, the Toros worked the ball around to Gillett who was fouled on her baseline jumper with 3.3 seconds left. Gillett missed the first but made her second foul shot to knot the score. Azusa Pacific's final opportunity saw Kaiser get fouled and, once again, she connected on both attempts from the charity stripe. The Toros desperation heave never had a chance.
