LA MIRADA, Calif. – It is a well-known truth in college sports that in a rivalry game, no lead is ever safe.  Azusa Pacific nearly put that maxim to the test Saturday night, eventually outlasting Biola 53-43 in a defensive battle inside Chase Gymnasium.

How It Happened: The first half saw the Cougars in near complete control.  Four different players scored Azusa Pacific's first four field goals as the visiting team opened the game with nine unanswered points over four minutes.  The Cougar defense was stifling, holding Biola to just a single field goal in the first quarter.  Elyse Mitchell and Calista Arzaga got in on the action with a 7-0 run between them late in the period to put the Cougars up 18-5 after one.  The second quarter saw the cold shooting for Biola continue, as with two minutes left in the half, the Eagles were just 1-22 from the field, and the Cougars had built up a 29-8 lead over that stretch.

Both teams finally started putting some dents in the scoreboard in the third quarter, as the Eagles threw in a couple of shots from beyond the arc; while, after not getting a single foul call to go their way in the entire first half, the Cougars were finally able to get to the free throw line and knock down all six of their attempts at the line.  And with a 15-point lead heading to the fourth, the game looked well in hand.  But Biola had one last run in them, scoring the first nine points of the final quarter, pulling within 47-41 and keeping the Cougars off the scoreboard for more than six minutes in the process.  But Azusa Pacific's defense would rise to the challenge once more, holding Biola without a field goal for the final 5:58 of the game while doing just enough on the offensive end to close out the contest.

By the Numbers: Audrey Sayoc led the Cougars with 15 points on the evening.  Rachel Roderick had a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 13 rebounds.  Mitchell and Arzaga combined for all 13 points scored by the Cougar bench.  Keisharna Lucas was held to only two points, but came through with six rebounds and a season-high four blocked shots.  The Cougars limited Biola to 28% shooting from the field for the game.  Azusa Pacific has won six in a row against Biola and 19 of the last 21.  The season sweep also earns 10 points toward this year's Cornerstone Cup competition.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific finishes the regular season with a record of 21-8, 17-5 in PacWest play.  That tied Point Loma for the second-best record in the conference, but the Cougars will be the 3rd seed in next week's conference tournament in San Diego.  They will open up on Thursday evening at 5:00 p.m. against 6th-seeded Concordia.  The winner of that game will face the host Sea Lions in Friday's semifinals.