AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific took an important step towards trying to make the field for the NCATA national championships next month with a 258.50-247.855 victory over Division I Missouri State Thursday evening inside the Felix Event Center.  The Cougars won 17 out of 20 heats on the night in their first-ever meeting against the Bears, who are in their second season as a program.

The Cougars had their best scoring night in a month and it showed early, winning all four heats in the compulsory event for the first time this season, including a 9.85 in the pyramid heat and 9.80 in the toss heat.  That gave the Cougars a lead of nearly a point and a half heading into the acro event; where the 5-element team of Carly Jackman, Jenna Moisio, Josie Purcell, and Kendall Sullivan shone with a 9.75.  That allowed the Cougars to tack over another point onto their lead before the pyramid event, where both teams excelled, with all six scores in the event north of 9.50, including a 9.95 in Azusa Pacific's open pyramid.  That gave the Cougars a lead of 94.8-90 at the half.

The toss event saw the Cougars win two of three heats, though the Bears were able to force a draw in the overall event, maintaining the lead at just under five points heading into tumbling.  The Cougars won all six tumbling heats to extend their lead, with particularly strong performances coming from Moisio and Abbigale Cortez in the duo pass (9.10), Sullivan in the aerial pass (9.45 out of a possible 9.55), and Cortez again in the 6-element pass (9.65).  The six heat wins allowed the Cougars to stretch their advantage to over seven points heading into the team event, where the Cougars put up a score of 83.50 to secure the victory.

Up Next: Now 2-3 on the season, the Cougars get one more chance to impress the selection committee when they host Hawai'i Pacific on senior night April 8. The teams will take to the mats in the Felix Event Center at 6:00 p.m.