Azusa Pacific is moving on to the second round of the NCAA West Regional, as the fourth-seed Cougars battled to a 62-60 win over the fifth-seed Cal Poly Pomona Broncos.
 
Junior Savanna Hanson knocked down two free throws with 15 seconds left in regulation, which gave the Cougars the 62-60 lead, forcing Cal Poly Pomona to call a timeout, facing one final possession. The Cougar defense needed one more stop, and that is exactly what they did, as Cal Poly Pomona's Jordyn Shane took a jumper with six seconds left that bounced off the rim, and Azusa Pacific sophomore Laura Pranger grabbed the rebound that brought the Broncos' season to an end.
 
The slim two-point margin of victory served as an appropriate reflection of the game, as it was a back and forth contest that saw 12 ties, 10 lead changes, and no lead bigger than eight points. More so, the two teams entered the first-round matchup with identical 25-5 overall records.
 
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific's largest lead of the game came in the first few minutes of the contest, as the Cougars jumped out to a 6-0 lead with just 2:02 off of the clock. However, Cal Poly Pomona responded before the Cougars could seize full control of the game, and the two teams battled to a 17-14 score at the end of the first quarter.
 
The second quarter went the Broncos' way, as Cal Poly Pomona would outscore the Cougars 19-14 in the quarter, which gave the Broncos a 33-31 halftime lead.
 
To start the third quarter, Cal Poly Pomona started fast, extending its two-point halftime lead to a 39-31 advantage with 8:39 left in the quarter. Azusa Pacific would then go on a 9-0 run, capped off by a pair of free throws from junior Daylee Hanson, which gave the Cougars a 40-39 lead with 4:32 left in the third quarter. Azusa Pacific would hold a 44-40 lead with 3:45 left in third, however, the Broncos would close out the quarter with a run of their own, taking a 45-44 lead into the final 10 minutes of regulation.
 
Turning Point: With 5:34 left in the fourth quarter, Cal Poly Pomona's Rebecca Islas scored a layup to give the Broncos a 53-50 lead. Following seven straight scoreless possessions from both teams, junior Rachel Bozlee knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner, tying the game at 53-53. Azusa Pacific would not trail again in the contest.
 
Azusa Pacific Standouts: Bozlee had a game-high 19 points, including five made three-pointers. Two Cougars nearly had double-doubles in the game, as Savanna Hanson finished with 12 rebounds and nine points, while junior Cierra Roufosse had 10 points and nine rebounds. Savanna Hanson also had three assists, three blocks and a steal. Daylee Hanson once again stuffed the stat sheet, as she finished with seven points, five steals, five assists, a block, and four rebounds. Pranger finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, three assists, and three steals.
 
Cal Poly Pomona Standouts: Two Broncos scored in double figures, as Kasey Smit recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Jordyn Shane scored 13 points.
 
 What's Next: The Cougars will now play the top-seed and host, UC San Diego, in the second round of the West Regional. UC San Diego is coming off of a commanding 81-58 first round win over PacWest member Dominican. Azusa Pacific and UC San Diego will tip-off tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. (Live Video)