AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific kept its perfect PacWest record intact with its toughest test of the year, surviving a late scare from Fresno Pacific to escape with an 81-80 victory. With the Cougars clinging to a one-point lead with nine-tenths of a second left in regulation and Fresno Pacific inbounding from the backcourt, Sunbird point guard Jessica Malazarte attempted a last-second buzzer-beater from just inside the halfcourt line. Her shot banked off the backboard and front rim before dropping through the hoop, but it was ruled after the buzzer to preserve the one-point win for the Cougars.
The victory was Azusa Pacific's closest PacWest game of the season as the Cougars ran their perfect conference record to 13-0 and extended their conference winning streak to 23 games.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific jumped out the gates hot, storming to a 10-point lead after the first frame, 26-16. A short jumper outside the paint from Cierra Roufosse got the Cougars on the board first in the second quarter, and Daylee Hanson's three-point play with 6:20 left in the second quarter gave Azusa Pacific its largest lead of the game, a 16-point margin (37-21) with 6:20 left in the half.
Despite maintaining a double-digit edge through halftime with a 46-35 lead at the break, the second half was a different story for the Cougars. The teams played toe-to-toe until the Sunbirds came alive late in the third frame, closing the gap to six with an 11-3 run that cut the lead to 57-51. Fresno Pacific turned it up again late in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with a 12-3 run over the final 3:09 to cut the Cougars' 10-point lead with less than four minutes left to the final one-point margin.
The Cougars went into the final minute of regulation with a five-point lead, but Ashley Cross made a pair of free throws with 40 seconds left to cut the lead to 81-78 before Rachel Berry came up with a steal that set up a two-point Cassie Pisik jumper which made it a one-point game, 81-80, with 1.2 seconds left. The Cougars couldn't get the ball inbounds cleanly, giving the ball back to the Sunbirds with nine-tenths of a second to play.
Quotable: "Fresno Pacific came out ready to play and exploited a lot of our weaknesses tonight. I'm proud to see how our girls didn't back away from anything tonight even when things weren't going in our favor. I was happy with the maturity and resiliency we showed tonight and found a way to win."—Head coach T.J. Hardeman
Azusa Pacific Standouts: In addition to holding off a late comeback victory, Daylee Hanson and Savanna Hanson scored 20 points apiece. Daylee Hanson went 8-for-17 from the field and added six rebounds, while Savanna Hanson finished with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals for the Cougars. Also scoring in double digits was Laura Pranger with 15 points, seven rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and two assists. Cierra Roufosse finished with seven points and six rebounds.
What's Next: Azusa Pacific, now 13-0 in PacWest play and 16-3 on the season, will travel to Honolulu, Hawai'i, to take on Chaminade in a 5:30 p.m. contest on Monday (Jan. 28), for the first of three games in five days in Hawai'i.
