IRVINE, Calif. – Needing to defend their PacWest Conference Tournament title to continue their season, the Cougars got off to a fine start on Thursday evening.       

Azusa Pacific was strong in all facet from the beginning as they posted a 95-60 win against Notre Dame de Namur in their opening round game.

With the win the fifth-seeded Cougars advance to the tournament semifinals where they will play top seed California Baptist Friday at 5:00 p.m. Should Azusa Pacific pull off the upset, they would play for the championship, and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, on Saturday afternoon against either Point Loma or Hawaii Pacific.

Post Game Press Conference

Azusa Pacific flirted with a host of PacWest Tournament records in the victory. Their point total was the second most with their 37 made shots also ranking second. They made 12 shots from behind the arc which is the third most as the postseason event enters its fifth season.

For the first time this season the Cougars placed six players in double figures. Abigail Goodsell led the team with a 20-point effort. She did all of her scoring in the first two quarters as she finished the game with seven rebounds and three steals in 29 minutes. Tara Casey posted her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Off the bench Rachel Bozlee scored 16 points – all but one point came from behind the arc. Zoe March, Casey Wortley and Samantha Huddleston all scored 10 points.

The Cougars defense set the tone from the tip. Notre Dame de Namur missed their missed 10 field goal attempts as Azusa Pacific raced out to a 19-5 lead with just over two minutes left in the period. By the period's end, the Argonauts hit just two field goal attempts as Azusa Pacific staked claim to a 21-12 lead.

Notre Dame de Namur's woes from the field continued early into the second quarter but they converted 12 of their 13 free throw attempts as they trimmed their deficit to 21-16. Azusa Pacific owned the rest of the frame as they deflated any momentum the Argonauts (15-13) were trying to build. The Cougar scored 11 unanswered points en route to finish the stanza on a 27-5 run. After 20 minutes, Notre Dame de Namur hit four of their 31 field goal attempts while the Cougars went 18-for-33 from the floor.

Azusa Pacific (16-13) continued their unrelenting presence in the third quarter. They grew their lead to as large as 35 points. They continued to hit nearly 60 percent of their field goal attempts while holding the Argonauts to an abysmal 9-for-53 (17 percent). Entering the final 10 minutes the Cougars were comfortably in charge 70-41.

The final quarter was academic as the Cougars cruised to the easy win.