BELMONT, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific rallied in the second half for a 75-68 road win over Notre Dame de Namur in the Cougars' first PacWest win by a margin of less than 13 points in a perfect 11-0 start through the first half of the 22-game conference schedule.
Notre Dame de Namur led for nearly 25 minutes of the game and took its largest lead midway through the third quarter in a game with five ties and 14 lead changes. The Cougars scored 20 points in both the third and fourth quarters, rallying to take a one-point lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter before putting the game away down the stretch.
Rachel Bozlee scored a game-high 16 points to lead the Cougars, and her three-pointer with 4:28 left in the game broke a 63-63 tie and gave Azusa Pacific the lead for good. She added a layup in transition on the next possession, sparking a 9-0 run in a 90-second span late in the fourth quarter.
With the win, Azusa Pacific hits the halfway point in the 22-game PacWest schedule with a perfect 11-0 conference record. The Cougars own a 21-game PacWest win streak and improve to 14-3 overall. Notre Dame de Namur falls to 3-10 overall and 2-7 in the PacWest.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific found itself in an early deficit after shooting just 18 percent (3-for-17) from the floor in the first quarter. The teams traded the lead six times in the second quarter, although NDNU scored in the closing seconds of the quarter to take a 38-35 halftime lead. The Argonauts extended the lead to seven points in the third quarter, but the Cougars shot 55 percent (16-for-29) from the field in the second half to rally for the victory.
Turning Point: Midway through the fourth quarter, Bozlee hit consecutive three-pointers to answer NDNU scores. Dominique Culhno hit a pair of free throws with 5:31 left in the game to give the Argonauts a 61-60 lead, its last lead of the game. Bozlee pushed the Cougars in front, 63-61, with a three-pointer, and after NDNU tied the game at 63-63, Bozlee hit another three and followed with a layup to score the first five points of a 9-0 run. Azusa Pacific never trailed again, extending the lead to 10 points before the Argonauts cut it to seven with a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the game.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Bozlee scored 11 of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter, and she finished the game 6-for-12 from the floor, including a 4-for-9 performance beyond the three-point line. Three other Cougars joined her in double figures, as Savanna Hanson tallied 13 points with 7 rebounds while Cierra Roufosse added 12 points and Laura Pranger tallied 10. Daylee Hanson finished with 7 points and a game-high 9 rebounds, and she collected a career-high 7 steals to lead the Cougars' defensive effort. Roufosse and Pranger each registered 3 blocks.
Notre Dame de Namur Standouts: Anaya Rodisha tied Bozlee for the game-high in scoring with 16 points, and Lindsay Bates added 14 points to go with team-highs of 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Jordan Rodriguez and Abigail Walsh scored 9 points each for the Argonauts.
By The Numbers: In the first half, Azusa Pacific made 1-of-10 three-pointers, but in the second half the Cougars were 5-for-11 beyond the arc… The Cougars registered assists on 23 of their 27 made field goals… Azusa Pacific posted a 41-32 rebounding edge over NDNU… The Cougars won 15 consecutive PacWest games by a margin of at least 13 points until Saturday's 7-point victory.
What's Next: It's Cornerstone Cup week for Azusa Pacific, which hosts Biola on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m.
