AZUSA, Calif. – It was a tale of two halves.

Seattle Pacific played a solid final 20 minutes as they pulled away from Azusa Pacific in posting an 80-69 win on Friday evening.

The game was a part of the NCAA Division II West Region Crossover Challenge. Earlier in the day UC San Diego beat Western Washington 56-49.

HOW IT HAPPENED: After a nip-and-tuck opening 20 minutes, Seattle Pacific pulled away in the final two quarters with solid shooting from the floor.

In the first two quarters the Cougars led for just over 17 minutes as they went 17-for-31 (54.8 percent) from the field in taking a 40-39 halftime edge. Even with that strong shooting performance, the Falcons (3-0) was able to stay close. Seattle hit 45.5 percent (15-for-33) of their attempts.

Seattle Pacific slowly built their lead in the final two frames. The third quarter told a tale of two different shooting efforts. Azusa Pacific hit five of their 19 attempts while the Falcons converted over half of their 13 shots. In the fourth quarter the Cougars stayed within single digits until late in the contest. Seattle Pacific took a double figure lead in the closing minutes and the home team couldn't rally. 

Jordan McPhee was a force for the visitors as the guard nailed 11 of her 16 field attempts en route to a 30-point performance. She also grabbed a game high nine rebounds and had four steals

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

- Savanna Hanson had a team high 23 points for the Cougars
- In the second half, the Cougars went 12-for-38 from the floor
- Each team struggled to handle the ball as Seattle Pacific had 23 turnovers while the Cougars recorded 20
- Seattle Pacific held a 23-16 edge in points off turnovers
- Zoe March dished out eight assists

UP NEXT: The event concludes as Seattle Pacific plays UC San Diego at 5:30 p.m. then Azusa Pacific hosts Western Washington which is slated for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.