IRVINE, Calif. – Azusa Pacific scored on its opening possession and never looked back, rolling to an 85-66 road win over Concordia to pick up its third straight victory to open Pacific West Conference play.
Zoe March led a quartet of Cougars who scored in double figures, pouring in a team-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, and Savanna Hanson and Laura Pranger added 17 points each while Cierra Roufosse contributed 16 points. All four made seven field goals and shot over 50 percent from the field.
The Cougars improve to 3-0 in PacWest play and 6-3 overall with their current three-game winning streak, while Concordia drops to 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the PacWest.
How It Happened: Savanna Hanson drilled a three-pointer to open the game, part of a 7-0 run on Azusa Pacific's first three possessions, and the Cougars led by double digits less than five minutes into the game when Hanson finished a fast break with a layup assisted by March for a 17-6 margin. The Cougars led by 10 points after the opening quarter, 26-16, and took a nine-point lead (43-34) into halftime.
The second half began very similar to the first, with March sinking a three to spark the Cougars to a 17-8 run within the first five minutes of the third quarter to take a commanding 60-42 lead. Azusa Pacific led by double digits the rest of the way, finishing the game with an 11-2 run to post the final 85-66 margin.
Turning Point: After Concordia pulled within five points at 37-32 late in the second quarter, Azusa Pacific scored six of the final eight points over the final 3:25 of the half. Pranger started the run with a basket in the paint just 11 seconds after the Eagles got within five, and Samantha Huddleston got the ball right back with a steal and consecutive offensive rebounds leading to her own putback that pushed the lead to nine. Michaela Vanderklugt scored inside with just over two minutes left, cutting the lead to 41-34, but Alex Lowden sent the Cougars into halftime with a nine-point edge with a short jumper in the final minute of the second quarter.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: March scored 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and she is now shooting over 70 percent (.704) through the first three games of PacWest play. Pranger was one rebound away from a double-double, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds while matching a season-high with four blocks. Savanna Hanson scored seven in the first quarter before finishing with 17, and Roufosse scored 10 of her 16 points in the first half.
Concordia Standouts: Vanderklugt led all scorers with 23 points, and she was also the Eagles' rebounding leader with seven. Riley Friauf scored 12 points and Jasmine Rachal added 11 points, and all three of Concordia's double-digit scorers added three assists apiece.
By The Numbers: Azusa Pacific shot 49 percent (33-for-67) overall and 42 percent (8-for-19) from three-point range… The Cougars' best shooting quarter was the opening stanza, going 12-for-19 (63 percent)… Azusa Pacific controlled the boards by a 44-30 margin and recorded a 42-32 edge in points in the paint.
What's Next: Azusa Pacific remains on the road for the rest of the calendar year, continuing a five-game PacWest road swing with a Saturday, Dec. 8 visit to Point Loma for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff.
