AZUSA, Calif.-- Azusa Pacific dominated Saturday night's Cornerstone Cup matchup with an impressive 85-46 victory at home in the Felix Event Center against Biola. The Cougars claimed its fifth consecutive win over the Pacific West Conference rival in the school's Cornerstone Cup Rivalry Series. 

Azusa Pacific Standouts: Senior guard Zoe March led all scorers with a season-high 17 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals for the Cougars. March was one of four players to score in double figures for Azusa Pacific. Junior Laura Pranger finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman Molly Whitmore was one rebound away from also receiving a double-double as she finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Pranger led the Cougars defensively with four blocks. Also finishing in double figures for Azusa Pacific was senior guard Daylee Hanson, as she collected 10 points, five rebounds, and three steals.

How It Happened: The Cougars were in control from the outset, as March drained a three-pointer from behind the arc in the opening possession. Azusa Pacific raced out to its best scoring run of the night and held the Eagles to a single basket in the first quarter before settling for an 18-2 lead at the end of the frame. The Eagles attempted to chip away at the deficit throughout the second quarter, but could never cut the lead to anything less than a fifteen point margin. "While we got out to the big lead early on, it was important for us to stay aggressive and not get too comfortable with the lead," said head coach T.J. Hardeman, "I think that "The Zu" really helped in keeping us fired up and focused, we wanted to continue to produce and perform well." While, Biola was able to find its way a little bit on the offensive end, the Cougars entered the lockerroom at halftime up 39-18.

In the second half, Azusa Pacific maintained the overall momentum of the contenst and never looked back. The Cougars steadily grew their lead over the third and fourth period. Over the third quarter, Biola was as close as 18 points, and ended the quarter down 28 points. From the 7:08 mark in the fourth quarter through the end of the game, Azusa Pacific held a lead greater than 30 points. The Cougars took their biggest lead of the night when a layup from sophomore Kyra Zovak put them up by 39 points with four seconds remaining. 

"Tonight was really about each person doing their job," said coach Hardeman, "while its a rivalry game and there is a unique environment, it still comes down to doing the simple things that allow us to be successful. We did a really good job of doing just, staying focused on our responsibilities."

Cornerstone Cup Update: Both the Azusa Pacific men's and women's teams won the first round of the Cornerstone Cup, and with the victories each team claimed five points towards the overall total. Azusa Pacific now leads the 2019-20 Cornerstone Cup by a 40-20 margin. Azusa Pacific is seeking to defend the Cup for the third consecutive year, as they beat Biola 95-45 in 2017-18, and ran away with it again in 2018-19 by a 120-20 spread.

What's Next: The Cougars will look to return to action on Saturday, January 25 in the Felix Event Center for a 5:15 p.m. matchup against PacWest foe Notre Dame De Namur. Azusa Pacific and Notre Dame de Namur have already met once this season, as the Cougars claimed a 70-53 road win on January 4.