POMONA, Calif. – The defending West Region champions and fourth-ranked Azusa Pacific opened the 2019-20 season with a 75-47 win over Cal State San Bernardino on Friday night in the first day of the PacWest/CCAA Crossover Challenge.
 
While the score was close after the first quarter with the Coyotes holding a 14-12 lead, the Cougars took control of the game from the second quarter on. Azusa Pacific outscored the Coyotes by a 27-12 margin in the second quarter. With 4:21 remaining before halftime, the score was tied at 24-24 when the Cougars closed out the first half of action on a 15-2 run, highlighted by five different Cougars scoring during the strech.
 
In the third quarter, Azusa Pacific locked down the Coyotes on defense, as CS San Bernardino scored just seven points in the period. Offensively, the Cougars scored 17 points on 41% shooting from the floor (7-for-17), which gave them a 56-33 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
To close out the game, the Cougars outscored the Coyotes 19-14 in the fourth quarter, led by eight points from junior Laura Pranger.
 
"We played well tonight," said head coach T.J. Hardeman, "we started out a little slow with some first game jitters, but we obviously picked it up as the game went on."
 
Pranger led the way for the Cougars, as she finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks. She was joined in double figures by senior Cierra Roufosse, who scored 13 points and added six rebounds. While Pranger and Roufosse led the way, the Cougars' depth was on display. Seven different players scored seven or more points in the game, while nine players logged 17 or more minutes of action. "We really have 10 starters on our team," said Coach Hardeman, "we have so many different options and players who can step up at different times. There are a lot of lineups I can put out on the floor to give different looks, and I'm confident that we can have success with each of them."
 
In addition to the performance of many key returners, the Cougars also received valuable production from a pair of freshman in Molly Whitmore and Paige Uyehara. Whitmore finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while Uyehara tallied seven points, three steals and two assists. "They (Whitmore & Uyehara) fit right in with the returning core of this team," said Coach Hardeman, "it has been exciting seeing them in practice and pre-season, but it was great to see them in their first real action."
 
As a team, the Cougars shot 39% from the floor (29-for-74), and 29% from beyond-the-arc (7-for-24). Azusa Pacific displayed unselfish basketball, as the Cougars assisted on 17 of their 29 field goals in the game. Senior Zoe March led Azusa Pacific with five assists. Defensively, the Cougars held the Coyotes to just 29% shooting overall (18-for-63), and 15% from deep (2-for-13). Azusa Pacific also forced 22 turnovers, including 13 steals.
 
With the first win of the season under its belt, Azusa Pacific is right back in action for its second game in the PacWest/CCAA Crossover Challenge. The Cougars will welcome another West-region foe in Cal Poly Pomona to the Felix Event Center tomorrow, Nov. 9, for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off. It will be the first home game of the season for the Cougars.