FRESNO, Calif. – Azusa Pacific fell on the road at Fresno Pacific on Saturday afternoon, as the Sunbirds took a 71-66 victory over the Cougars.
 
Three Cougars scored in double figures, as Laura Pranger and Daylee Hanson each finished with 11 points, while Savanna Hanson had 10 points. Pranger and Savanna Hanson also added seven rebounds. Defensively, Pranger had four blocks and Savanna Hanson tallied three steals.
 
Fresno Pacific held the lead throughout the first half, as the Sunbirds took a 38-31 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Trailing 47-35 in the second half, Azusa Pacific made its run to get back into the game. The Cougars went on a 19-0 run from the 6:56 mark in the third until 6:52 in the fourth quarter, as Azusa Pacific took a 54-47 lead. Fresno Pacific would answer back with a run of its own, as the Sunbirds went on an 8-0 run to take a 55-54 lead with a little over four minutes remaining in the game.
 
The two sides would go back and forth over the final four minutes of action, as there were six lead changes and three ties. The Sunbirds took the lead for good when Ashley Cross hit a shot to put Fresno Pacific up 68-66 with 20 seconds remaining.

In the loss, Azusa Pacific shot a better percentage than Fresno Pacific, as the Cougars went 41% from the floor (27-for-66), while the Sunbirds finished at a 31% clip. Fresno Pacific's biggest advantage in the game came at the charity stripe, as the Sunbirds went 25-for-32 (78%) from the free throw line. Azusa Pacific took just 14 free throws in the game, converting on nine of those attempts (64%). 
 
With the loss, Azusa Pacific is now 7-2 overall and 2-2 in PacWest play. The Cougars will play two home contests prior to Christmas break, as they take on Holy Names on Thursday, Dec. 19, followed by a meeting with Point Loma on Saturday, Dec. 21.