SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific outlasted No. 4-seeded Point Loma in a 64-55 victory in the Pacific West Conference Tournament semifinals Friday night at Dominican University.

The victory sends the Cougars into the PacWest Tournament championship game, where they'll meet No. 3-seed and defending tournament champion Hawai'i Pacific on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Azusa Pacific clinched its return to the title game for the first time since winning the tournament in 2016 with Friday's win over Point Loma, which brought a 13-game winning streak into Friday's semifinal matchup.

The Cougars improved their all-time PacWest Tournament record to 5-3, improving to 25-4 overall this season.

How It Happened: Azusa Pacific jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter and never trailed en route to its third victory this season against the Sea Lions. Cierra Roufosse, Savanna Hanson, and Laura Pranger each shared the team scoring lead with 15 points each in the victory. A jumper midway through the fourth quarter from Cierra Roufosse gave Azusa Pacific its largest lead of the night, 57-40. The Cougars pounded the ball inside and only took one three-pointer in the final period. Junior guard Savanna Hanson scored eight points in the fourth quarter, while Laura Pranger added six points in the final frame to help solidify the win.

Point Loma shot the ball well from beyond the arc, making 7-of-13 three-point attempts. However, the Sea Lions only made 9-of-46 two-point field goal attempts in the game. Pranger recorded six blocks for the Cougars and Roufosse added two more blocks for the Cougars' defense.

Azusa Pacific Standouts: Three Cougars finished in double figures with fifteen points to outlast the Sea Lions. Laura Pranger recorded 15 points and eight rebounds, while Savanna Hanson notched 15 points and six rebounds. Cierra Roufosse was the third Cougar to finish with 15 points and added four rebounds.

Point Loma Standouts: Cara Liggins recorded a team-high 12 points and 10 rebounds for Point Loma, while Sydney Peterson led the Sea Lions' success from behind the arc by making 3-of-4 three-point attempts to finish with 11 points. Yuendie Guridi dished out a team-high four assists.

What's Next: The Cougars will compete in Saturday's PacWest Tourament championship game, taking on Hawai'i Pacific for the tournament title. Hawai'i Pacific handed Azusa Pacific its only PacWest defeat this season. After falling to the Sharks, 81-72, in Hawai'i, the Cougars avenged the defeat with a 71-63 win at home to split the season series and finish the regular season with seven consecutive wins.

Postgame Press Conference: Head Coach T.J. Hardeman, Laura Pranger, Cierra Roufosse

Semifinal Video Recap (produced by PacWest Conference)