IRVINE, Calif. -- In a nationally-televised battle that went down to the wire, the Azusa Pacific women's basketball team gutted out a 75-69 win over Concordia-Irvine Saturday at the CU Arena.
Points were at a premium throughout the first half, as the first quarter ended up tied at 13-13 with neither team leading by more than three at any point. In the second quarter, the Cougars temporarily got some breathing room by opening up a 25-19 advantage with
Cierra Roufosse bookending an 8-2 run with a pair of jump shots, but the Eagles would narrow the gap to three at intermission, 27-24.
The Cougars were unable to hit anything far from the paint. In fact, for the only time this season, Azusa Pacific did not make a single three-point shot. The teams were never more than four points apart at any point in the third quarter, with Concordia going on an 8-0 run that spanned the third-quarter break to take their largest lead of the afternoon at 47-42 in the opening minute of the fourth.
With nothing outside falling, the Cougars went out of their way to work the ball inside throughout the final frame.
Zoe March started that with a short jumper in the paint, and then a driving lay-up attempt that resulted in two free throws. She knocked those down, which started the decisive stat of the game: Azusa Pacific made 21 free throws in the final quarter without a miss. Every Cougar point in the final ten minutes was either in the paint or at the line, as the team would win the final quarter by a 33-26 margin.
"Being able to make all of our free throws in the final period is a testament to the confidence that we have as a team," said head coach
T.J. Hardeman, "we had a good variety of players step up to the line, and there was no sign of nerves or doubt. We are a mature group who does not shy away from big moments."
The starters did most of the damage at the offensive end. March led the team with 19 points in the game, including 9-9 at the line in the fourth quarter.
Daylee Hanson added 15 points,
Savanna Hanson had 14 and 7 rebounds, Roufosse put up 10 points in the first half, finishing with 11, and
Laura Pranger had 8 points and 9 rebounds. Pranger, Roufosse, and Daylee each had three blocks at the defensive end, as the Cougars held Concordia to 36% shooting for the game.
"Tonight was an important win for us," said Coach Hardeman, "to be able to walk away with a win in a hostile spot, while having a fairly poor shooting night, shows us that we will find a way to get it done by staying the course and remaining focused on the details required to be successful.
With the win, the Cougars end the regular season on a six-game winning streak. They finish the regular season at 24-4, just as they did last year before their postseason run. Azusa Pacific will be the No. 2 seed at the PacWest tournament, and will next play in the semifinals on their home court Friday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. against the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal between Concordia and Fresno Pacific.
