RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Rough shooting nights are hard to overcome. It is even harder in the postseason.
Azusa Pacific had their second worst shooting effort of the season as they fell to Point Loma 76-68 in the PacWest Tournament semifinals.
Although the setback eliminates the Cougars from the league tournament, their season won't come to an end as they are a sure bet to make the NCAA West Region Championships as at-large selection. Azusa Pacific, who was ranked 16th in the latest national poll, enters the survive-and-advance stage of the postseason with a 27-4 record.
Point Loma will play Hawai'i Pacific on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the conference's tournament title. Earlier in the day Hawai'i Pacific beat Dominican.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Cougars connected on just 25 of their 82 shot attempts (30.5 percent). Azusa Pacific actually made one more field goal then the Sea Lions. Point Loma hit 41.4 percent (24-for-58) of their field goal attempts.
Despite their shooting woes, Azusa Pacific found themselves in front 29-24 during the closing minutes of the second frame. However, the Sea Lions finish the quarter with six straight points to take a one-point edge into the locker room.
The Cougars were resilient and grabbed a 42-38 lead with just under five minutes left in the third period. However, Point Loma (19-10) finished the quarter on a 16-5 scoring spurt to take an eight-point edge heading into the last 10 minutes. Azusa Pacific couldn't get their deficit down to a single possession in that stanza. Azusa Pacific pulled as close as 66-62 with 2:09 but couldn't get any closer.
POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Abbigail Goodsell had games highs in points (19) and rebounds (11)
- Gabrielle Kaiser scored 12 points in 33 minutes
- Savanna Hanson and Rachel Bozlee each chipped in 10-point efforts
- Azusa Pacific held a 53-45 edge in rebounds
- The loss snaps a nine-game winning streak
UP NEXT: The Cougars will participate in next week's NCAA Division II West Region Championships. The eight-team event begins on Friday, March 9 with the match-ups and location being revealed this Sunday (March 4) at 7 p.m. (PST).
