AZUSA, Calif. – A 24-hour turnaround was just fine for Azusa Pacific.
The Cougars rebounded from their first loss of the season for an 84-68 win against Western Washington on Saturday evening.
The contest closed out the West Region Crossover Challenge. Earlier in the day, Seattle Pacific concluded the weekend undefeated with a 65-59 win against UC San Diego.
WINNING ADVANTAGE: The 16th ranked Cougars led for nearly 35 minutes and did so in large part due to a pesky defense and solid guard play.
Azusa Pacific forced the Vikings (2-2) into 26 turnovers which helped give the Cougars (7-1) a 36-6 edge in points off turnovers.
The starting backcourt duo of Zoe March and Abbigail Goodsell made the offense tick. Goodsell scored a team high 22 points and had five steals. March notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 assists. She had just one turnover and swiped three steals.
The Cougars hit 13 of their 27 shots from behind the arc to aid in the victory.
FROM THE BOXSCORE
- Gina Henderson and Rachel Bozlee each came off the bench to score 12 points.
- Bozlee hit a team high four three-pointers
- Nearly half of the Cougars 27 field goals came from behind the arc
QUOTEABLE: "Our defense really wreaked havoc on their offensive plans tonight," said head coach T.J. Hardeman. "Zoe was such a key part to what we did on both side of the court. She really had an outstanding weekend."
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Jordan McPhee (SPU)
Courtney Hollander (SPU)
Dalayna Sampton (UCSD)
Hannah Stipanovich (WWU)
Zoe March (APU)
UP NEXT: The Cougars travel to UC San Diego for their annual Thanksgiving tournaments. The Cougars play Cal State San Marcos on Friday before playing the Tritons on Saturday.
