BELMONT, Calif. – Azusa Pacific claimed its second consecutive PacWest road win, as the Cougars defeated Notre Dame de Namur by a 70-53 final on Saturday afternoon.
 
Savanna Hanson led the way for Azusa Pacific, as she recorded a double-double with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds. She also had three assists in the contest. Laura Pranger scored in double figures as well for the Cougars, as she had 13 points to go along with six rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals. The point guard duo of Zoe March and Paige Uyehara combined for 12 assists, with each player finished with six in the contest.
 
Azusa Pacific got off to a quick start, as the Cougars jumped out to a 15-0 lead by hitting all five of their first field goal attempts. Savanna Hanson scored eight of the first 15 points by way of two triples and a two-point jumpshot. The Argonauts finally got on the board with a layup at 5:25 left in the first quarter. Over the remainder of the first quarter, the Cougar offense was slowed down as Notre Dame de Namur went on a 10-4 run to cut the deficit down to 19-12 heading into the second.
 
The Argonauts trimmed the lead down to four on their first possession of the second half with Lauren Rabena hitting a three-pointer to make it 19-15. The Cougars pushed the lead right back up to 10 points, following Rachel Bozlee's back-to-back three pointers that made it 25-15 with 8:38 left before halftime. While Notre Dame de Namur was able to get within five points at 25-20, the Cougars closed out the first half on a 14-5 run to grab a 39-25 halftime lead.
 
In the third quarter, Azusa Pacific maintained a double-digit lead, as the Argonauts were unable to pull any closer than 12 points. In the fourth quarter, the Cougars pushed the lead to as large as 24 and never allowed the Argonauts to trail by less than 17.
 
Azusa Pacific shot 41% from the floor overall, and 33% from beyond-the-arc. The Cougars finished with 30 points in the paint, 26 points from the bench, 24 points off turnovers, and 14 second chance points. The Argonauts finished 40% overall, 27% from three, 28 points in the paint, 17 bench points, eight points off turnovers, and four second chance points. Azusa Pacific committed just nine turnovers, while forcing 17 on defense.
 
The Cougars improve to 11-3 overall, and 5-3 in PacWest play. Azusa Pacific returns home for a contest against Concordia on Thursday, January 9. Tip-off is set for 5:15 pm.