EUGENE, Ore. – In a possible preview of a matchup in the national tournament at the tournament site, Azusa Pacific's unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of a familiar foe, falling to the Oregon Ducks by less than a point, 280.58-279.78 Friday evening inside Matthew Knight Arena. 

How It Happened:  The lead traded hands repeatedly over the course of the evening.  Oregon built a lead of about two-thirds of a point over the course of the compulsory event, though the Cougars were able to match the Ducks with a 9.95 in the compulsory toss event.  The second-ranked Cougars would respond in the acro event, highlighted by a 9.95 in the 5-element heat courtesy of Jessica Gill and Hannah Alonzo.  Coupled with a clean 7-element performance, the Cougars won the event and took a narrow lead of just five one-hundredths of a point, 67.50 to 67.45.

Both teams performed well in the pyramid event, with Azusa Pacific's best mark being a 9.90 in the open pyramid.  Oregon's scores were just a bit better on the whole, and the home team went into halftime with a lead of three tenths, 96.9-96.6.  The Cougars responded with a 9.95 in the Salto toss and won all three heats of the toss event, retaking the lead, 125.70 to 125.35.

Oregon responded again in the multi-person tumbling passes, taking a slight lead despite the fact that all three of Azusa Pacific's solo tumbling passes (performed by Sarah Lang, Gill, and Mckenna Dawson) scored at least a 9.925.  Going into the team event, the teams were separated by just fifteen hundredths of a point, which all but guaranteed that whomever prevailed in the team event would win the meet.  The Cougars score of 96.93 was not enough, as the Ducks put up a 97.58 to secure the win.

By the Numbers:  Oregon's score of 280.58 is five points higher than they had put up in any prior meet this season.  Azusa Pacific won six heats on the evening.  The Cougars are still looking for their first-ever road win over the Ducks, as both of the Cougars victories over Oregon came at home (2014 and 2021).  This is the closest margin ever in the 20 meets the two teams have played against each other.  Gill's 9.975 on the 6-element tumbling pass is the highest score of her career on that event.

Up Next:  Despite the loss, Azusa Pacific (5-1) was ranked second in this week's NCATA poll.  There will be two more sets of rankings released before the end of the regular season.  The eight schools that will participate in the national championships (hosted by Oregon) as well as the qualifiers for individual event finals will be announced on April 11, with the tournament taking place April 28-30th in Eugene.