SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Azusa Pacific opened 2020 with a 78-67 win over Academy of Art on Thursday afternoon, as the Cougars jumped out to a 50-20 halftime lead.
 
Five Cougars scored in double digits, led by 16 points from Daylee Hanson. Two Cougars posted a double-double in the contest, as Laura Pranger scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Savanna Hanson scored 10 points and collected 12 rebounds. Paige Uyehara scored a career-high 12 points. Molly Whitmore also reached double figures for Azusa Pacific, as she scored 10 points on 5-for-6 shooting.
 
The Cougars opened the game in dominant fashion, as they held Academy of Art scoreless for nearly six minutes to open the game, as Azusa Pacific held a 12-0 lead with 4:03 remaining in the first quarter. After the first quarter, the Cougars were up 26-9. In the second quarter, Azusa Pacific continued to extend the lead, as the Cougars outscored the Urban Knights 24-11 in the period. The Cougars 30-point halftime lead, at 50-20, was a result of 54% shooting from the field (21-for-39), while defensively, Azusa Pacific forced Academy of Art to convert on just 18% (6-for-34) of its field goal attempts through the first two quarters.
 
While Azusa Pacific ultimately claimed the victory, the second half belonged to the Urban Knights. "We started the game with a lot of focus and energy," said head coach T.J. Hardeman, "but tonight was a tale of two halves. They (Academy of Art) came out in the second half and were hitting their shots and in many ways just out played us. This is a great lesson for us in that we need to keep our foot on the pedal and remain solid."
 
Academy of Art outscored the Cougars by a 47-28 margin over the third and fourth quarters. The Urban Knights were led in the second half by Tayler Bennett, who scored 27 of her game-high 39 points in the second half. Bennett went 7-for-10 from three in the third and fourth quarters. Academy of Art was able to cut its 30-point halftime deficit in half in the third quarter, as Azusa Pacific held a 58-44 lead with a little over a minute remaining in the period.
 
The Cougars were able to maintain a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest, however, the Urban Knights drew within 11 points at 76-65 with 1:41 remaining in the contest. Following two made free throws by Daylee Hanson, the Cougars took a 78-65 lead with 1:15 remaining in the contest. Azusa Pacific would allow just two more points to close out the contest, as Bennett made a layup with 53 seconds left for the Urban Knights' final points of the afternoon.
 
With the victory, Azusa Pacific improves to 10-3 overall and 4-3 in PacWest play. The Cougars close out the two-game road trip in the Bay Area on Saturday, January 4 at Notre Dame de Namur. Tip-off on Saturday is scheduled for 1:00 pm.