AZUSA, Calif. – On Tuesday evening the Azusa Pacific women's basketball team accomplished a feat not done for 25 years.
The Cougars won their sixth straight game to start the season with a 72-57 win against Westmont. The last team to start the season 6-0 was the 1992-93 squad. That squad won seven straight.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Cougars built a lead as large as 19 points in the first half in large part from strong shooting from behind the arc. During the first two quarters the home team nailed seven of their 11 attempts from deep. Led by Abbigail Goodsell's 4-for-4 effort – which led to a 15-point first half – the Cougars built a 44-27 edge at intermission. Azusa Pacific's 11-for-14 effort from the foul line contributed to their 17-point lead as well.
Azusa Pacific kept the Warriors (3-1) at arm's length for a majority of the final two periods. Westmont pulled to within 10 points early in the fourth quarter but couldn't get their deficit into the single digits.
WELCOME BACK ABBIGAIL: Suiting up for the first time this season, Goodsell hit her first four shots from the field en route to a 22-point effort. The senior played 35 minutes and went 7-for-9 from the floor – including 4-for-5 from behind the arc – in her season debut.
QUOTABLE: "We knew with our guards they were going to struggle to defend us. And, welcome back Abby. She opens up the game and makes it easier on everyone else," said head coach T.J. Hardeman. "It was nice to see us share the ball and get after it defensively. I thought that played a big a role in the outcome."
On the 6-0 start and moving forward – "We have a lot of players that are talented and unselfish. It is hard for our opponents to pick just one player guard. It makes it nice that we have so many weapons to go to."
LOOKING AT THE BOXSCORE
- Savanna Hanson scored in double figures for the sixth straight game with a team best 23 points. She also grabbed a team high eight rebounds
- Zoe March played an efficient 30 minutes with 12 points, three rebounds, two steals and no turnovers
- Azusa Pacific finished the game 11-for-20 from behind the arc
- The Cougars committed a season low eight turnovers
UP NEXT: The Cougars host their second four-team event in as many weekends. Azusa Pacific welcomes Seattle Pacific, UC San Diego and Western Washington for the West Region Crossover Challenge. The Cougars first game is Friday against Seattle Pacific (7:30 p.m.). Azusa Pacific plays Western Washington the following day.
