SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Azusa Pacific fought to the finish, but in its third game in as many days, a cold stretch in the second quarter proved too deep a hole to dig out of in a 61-47 loss to Vanguard in the PacWest Tournament championship game in Golden Gymnasium on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University Saturday afternoon..
How It Happened: The top-seeded Lions pounced early, jumping out to a quick 10-2 lead less than three minutes in. Audrey Sayoc scored five points in the opening quarter to keep the Cougars in the game, though they trailed 14-10 after the first quarter. Lauren Jones came alive at the start of the second quarter, knocking down three 3-point shots to pull the Cougars within a basket at 22-20 with seven minutes left in the first half.
That's when the physical toll of playing three games in three days seemed to rear its head. The Cougars had 12 possessions over the final seven minutes of the half, but scored only one more field goal in that span. Vanguard took advantage of that cold spell to open up what would become a 14-point lead at halftime, 36-22.
That slump would extend into the third quarter, with the Cougars' first seven trips down the floor in the second half also coming up empty, allowing the deficit to expand to 20 points before Jones finally broke the drought with her fourth triple of the game. Calista Arzaga and Sayoc knocked down back-to-back long balls of their own as the Cougars finally mounted a rally, eventually pulling within six points at 52-46 with 2:28 left in the game when Sayoc converted a pair of free throws.
Unfortunately, the same shooting woes that allowed Vanguard to run away and hide in the second quarter showed up again in the fourth, as the Cougars shot just 3-for-19 from the field in the final 10 minutes. The defense kept APU in it, allowing the Cougars to pull as close as 52-46 after a pair of Sayoc free throws with 2:18 to play, but the Lions were able to salt the game away at the free throw line, knocking down seven out of 10 attempts over the final two minutes.
By the Numbers: Sayoc and Jones tied for the team lead with 13 points each. Sayoc added 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while Jones had 5 rebounds. Both were named to the all-tournament team. Rachel Roderick and Keisharna Lucas each pulled down 9 rebounds to tie for the team lead in that category, with Lucas adding 3 steals and 3 blocks. This was the Cougars' 7th appearance in the PacWest tournament final, going 4-3 in those games. Azusa Pacific finishes its PacWest era with a record of 15-6 in conference tournament games.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific (23-9) was ranked ninth in the most recent set of West Regional rankings Wednesday, but that ranking did not factor in how the teams fared in their conference tournaments this weekend. The selection show to determine if the Cougars' season continues ub the NCAA Division II Tournament and where that game would be will air at 7:30 p.m. (PDT) Sunday evening, with the first round scheduled for Thursday.
