HONOLULU -- Azusa Pacific dropped its first Pacific West Conference game of the year with an 81-72 defeat to Hawai'i Pacific in a matchup between last year's regular-season conference co-champions.
The No. 25-ranked Cougars maintain the PacWest lead with a 14-1 conference record and are now 17-4 overall. Hawai'i Pacific now sits in second place behind the Cougars with a 12-1 PacWest record and a 14-5 overall mark.
How It Happened: The Cougars opened the contest with the first two baskets of the game, as
Laura Pranger scored in the paint followed by a layup from
Daylee Hanson, and Azusa Pacific got back in front by four, 8-4, midway through the first period. It was the Cougars' final lead of the night, as HPU went on a 7-0 run to gain the lead for good.
Shots fell more consistently for the Sharks in the second quarter. Hawai'i Pacific used a 14-2 run in a span of less than five minutes to take a 33-18 lead, starting the run with two free throws from Abbey Noblett and culminating in two more free throws from Samantha Lambrigtsen.
After HPU expanded its 10-point halftime lead to 54-39 in the first two minutes of the third quarter, the Cougars scored 18 of the final 26 points over the next eight minutes to cut the deficit to just five points, 62-57, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Sharks generated a 38-20 edge over the Cougars in points in the paint, as well as an 18-12 margin in bench scoring.
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Junior guard
Savanna Hanson scored a game-high 21 points with three assists and two blocks to lead the Cougars. Hanson went 5-for-10 (50 percent) from the field, including 2-for-3 from beyond the three-point line, and she sank 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Three other Cougars finished in double figures, as juniors
Laura Pranger and
Daylee Hanson each finished with 15 points, while
Rachel Bozlee added 12 points while hitting four from beyond the three-point line.
Hawai'i Pacific Standouts: Four players also finished in double figures for the Sharks, led by Alysha Marcucci's 18-point effort with Lambrigsten adding 16 points. Breanna Mackenzie added 12 points while Abbey Noblett tallied 11.
What's Next: Azusa Pacific concludes its three-game road trip to the Hawaiian Islands on the Big Island for Friday night's visit to Hawai'i Hilo.
