IRVINE, Calif. – One more victory is all it will take.
In a heavily defensive game Azusa Pacific pulled away late for a 70-63 victory against Dominican to clinch a spot in the PacWest tournament final game.
On Saturday at 4:30 p.m. the Cougars will face-off against rival California Baptist for the league's tournament championship. The teams tied for the regular season title with identical 19-1 conference records. This is also the third straight trip to the championship game for the Lancers.
Post Game Press Conference
To reach the final day of the three-day tournament, Azusa Pacific overcame a tough shooting night and a strong defensive effort from Dominican. The Cougars connected on just 31.6 percent (25-for-79) from the field while making 14 of their 23 foul shot attempts (60.9 percent). The fifth-seeded Penguins set a team season high with 11 blocked shots to help in the upset attempt.
Entering the tournament as the top seed, the Cougars were also stingy on the defensive side of the ball. They notched 15 steals as a team and held Dominican to just a 24 percent (6-for-25) shooting effort in the final two quarters.
Miriam Zabinsky had a team high 15 points to pace the Azusa Pacific offense. Joelle Tampien came off the bench and hit four huge three-pointers in just 15 minutes of time during her 12-point evening.
The Cougars found themselves in a tight contest from the get go on Friday evening. Tied at 18-18 after the first quarter, Dominican nudged ahead by as many as nine points in the second quarter before taking a 40-34 edge into the locker room. The deficit marked the first time since Dec. 5 the Cougars were losing at halftime.
Azusa Pacific chipped into the Penguins edge immediately into the third quarter as they tied the game at 44-44. However, a three-plus minute stretch ensued were neither team could find the bottom of the net. Dominican never released their lead but a late third quarter jumper by Zabinsky brought the Cougars within a single possession at 49-46 entering the final period.
A Tampian three-pointer than a Maggie Dumphy jumper gave the Cougars a 51-49 lead less than a minute into the final quarter. Azusa Pacific eventually stretched their lead to 54-49 but the Penguins continued to hang around. Kelly Hardeman hit a running lay-up with just under four minutes left as Azusa Pacific took their largest lead (62-56) of the night.
Dominican responded on their next possession as Alanna Scot hit a three-pointer. Despite a combined next seven possessions, the Cougars eventually put the Penguins away. Down the stretch Azusa Pacific missed just one of their field goal attempts while connecting on all four free attempts.
