HONOLULU, Hawaii – And then there was one left.

In their penultimate regular season game, Azusa Pacific shook off a 25-minute equipment delay to start the game as they never trailed in topping Chaminade 78-55 on Thursday night.

A victory on Saturday evening in the regular season finale against Hawaii-Hilo would secure no worse than a first place tie for the PacWest championship. The Cougars and California Baptist have identical 18-1 league records heading into the final game of their respective seasons. The win Saturday would also secure a first-round bye during the six-team conference tournament beginning on Thursday at Concordia University. Furthermore, the Cougars have stretched their winning streak to 12 games – the longest streak for the program since the 2010-11 season.

The 17th ranked Cougars also sit in the third spot in the NCAA West Region rankings with the top eight spots eligible for NCAA postseason championships which starts on March 11.

Kelly Hardeman scored at least 20 points for the third straight game. The senior paced the Cougars with a 20-point, 12-rebound evening. It is her 11th double-double of the season. Cydnie Jones was a factor in every area of the game as she scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds while tallying four steals and four assists.

Allison Greene also went for double figures with 12 points and a team high five assists. Miriam Zabinsky scored all 10 of her point in the first half.

A feisty team defense from the Cougars forced the home team into 28 turnovers. The quickly paced Azusa Pacific offense was on displayed because of their strong defensive presence as they held a 27-13 edge in points off turnovers.

Despite the later than expected start, the Cougars weren't affected. Azusa Pacific jumped out to a 7-0 in less than 60 seconds and methodically grew their lead. Holding a 15-11 lead after the first quarter, the Cougars started the put the game out of reach in the second period. A Zabinsky three-pointer ended a 17-7 run to open the second quarter with 4:19 left until halftime. The Cougars took a 36-24 lead into the locker room.

Just before the midway point of the third quarter the Cougars made their lead 20 points after Jones made a pair of free throws. Chaminade (5-17, 5-13) cut their deficit down to 49-36 but never posed a serious threat to taking the lead away from the Cougars. Azusa Pacific keep their advantage in double figures the rest of the game as they won for the fourth time in as many meetings with the Silverswords.