SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific improved its undefeated start to Pacific West Conference play, remaining unbeaten through the first four conference games with a 63-50 road victory at Point Loma Saturday afternoon.
For the second straight game, the Cougars scored first and never trailed again, Junior guard
Daylee Hanson scored a team-high 17 points to lead a trio of double-digit scorers for Azusa Pacific, who posted a 47-34 rebounding edge which led to a 17-5 margin in second chance points.
The Cougars extended their PacWest winning streak to 13 games, a stretch which dates back to last year's road win at Point Loma. Azusa Pacific improved to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in PacWest play while Point Loma falls to 2-7 overall, 2-2 PacWest.
Quotable: "Anytime we travel to Point Loma and receive a win, it's a good day. We jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, and as Point Loma battled back, we really buckled down and handled our business on both offense and defense. I was very proud of the way the team attacked the boards tonight. We had a big group of starters get into foul trouble early on, but our bench really stepped up and took control."- head coach
T.J. Hardeman
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific extended its lead early in the first quarter, jumping out to a 17-5 lead over the Sea Lions. The Cougars held a 10-point halftime lead, 30-20, and Hanson scored the first points of the second half to extend the lead to a dozen. However, a 15-4 Point Loma run over the next six minutes made it a one-point edge, 36-35, with less than three minutes remaining in the frame. The Cougars retaliated right away with a 9-0 run, although PLNU scored in the closing seconds of the quarter to pull within eight (45-37) heading into the fourth quarter. Point Loma never got closer than seven points in the fourth quarter as Azusa Pacific cruised to the win.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Daylee Hanson led the offense with a season-high 17 points, going 9-for-12 from the free throw line. Other double figure scorers were junior guard
Zoe March, who finished with 13 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting performance from the field, and sophomore forward
Laura Pranger, who scored 11 points with 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Point Loma Standouts: Peterson led all scorers, finishing with 20 points, while Cara Liggins contributed a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Sea Lions. They were the only two players to score in double figures for PLNU, which was held to a season-low scoring total of 50 points while shooting 27 percent (15-for-55) from the field.
What's Next: The Cougars have one game scheduled next week, traveling to to La Mirada to take on Biola at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, in the opening basketball installment of the 2018-19 Cornerstone Cup Rivalry Series presented by West Coast Sand & Gravel.
