ST. GEORGE, Utah – The second 20 minutes of the game were not the Cougars friend.
Despite holding a lead through a majority of the contest, Dixie State rallied in the final two quarters to post a 66-62 win against Azusa Pacific.
With the setback the 13th ranked Cougars fall to 11-2 overall and 2-1 in PacWest games. The win lifts the Trailblazers to 6-3 and 2-0 respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Azusa Pacific never trailed during the first three quarters. They held a lead as a large as 14 points (22-8) late in the opening quarter.
Azusa Pacific entered the third quarter with a 46-34 lead but the home team chipped away. The Trailblazers held a 28-20 scoring edge in that stanza. The Cougars continued to hold that edge until just before the midway point of the fourth stanza. Dixie State took their first lead of the game with 5:18 left in the contest on a Mariah Martin three-pointer.
The Cougars couldn't get a grip on the lead the rest of the way. Down the stretch Azusa Pacific missed their eight of their final nine attempts from the floor while going 2-for-5 from the charity stripe. The Cougars two possession in the last minute to tie or take the lead but couldn't convert either field goal attempt.
Azusa made 15 field goals in the first half but converted just eight attempts in the final 20 minutes.
Kristin Baldwin was vital to the home team's comeback as the center went 5-for-5 from the floor en route to games high in points (14) and rebounds (17).
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Abbigail Goodsell had a team high 12 points
- Tara Casey had her first double figure scoring effort in eight games with 11 points
- The loss snaps the Cougars five-game winning streak
AGAINST DIXIE STATE: It is the first loss in 11 all-time meetings between the two schools. Previously, the Cougars had won five games as the home and road team against Dixie State.
UP NEXT: Azusa Pacific takes the week off from competition as the school has finals week. The Cougars travel to the Bay Area for two games. The first is Saturday against Holy Names with tip-off set for 4 p.m.
