EL CAJON, Calif. -- The storyline for Azusa Pacific’s visit to San Diego Christian was supposed to include a career shooting record and the passing of the career 1,000-point milestone. Instead, the NAIA’s No. 13-ranked Cougars should consider themselves fortunate to have kept the Hawks winless in conference play after escaping with a 78-65 win Thursday evening.
Junior guard Sarah Leathers needed a pair of treys to set the Azusa Pacific program record for career 3-pointers, and senior guard Alyssa Ferdaszewski needed just 6 points to become the 15th 1,000-point scorer in Cougar history. Leathers was scoreless at halftime and made 1 3-pointer early in the second half to tie Allison Box’s mark of 172 career 3-pointers. Ferdaszewski, also scoreless at halftime, finished with 2 points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field, bringing her career scoring total to 996 points.
Even GSAC Player of the Year candidate Monica Somers struggled to get going, scoring 9 of her 17 points in the final 3 minutes of the game to help the Cougars hang on for the victory after San Diego Christian cut the lead to 68-60 with 3:35 to play.
With the Cougars struggling to play like a team that was on its way to its 18th win in the past 19 games, senior guard Kristy Urbick carried the load for Azusa Pacific, chasing a record of her own, the Cougar single-game 3-point record of 8, after nailing 5-of-6 first half treys. Urbick scored 19 of her game-high 24 points in the first half, helping the Cougars to a 40-22 halftime advantage. Urbick made 1 3-pointer in the second half to finish with a total of 6.
After falling behind 10-9 to start the game, Urbick knocked down her second 3 of the game to spark a 12-2 run that gave Azusa Pacific a 21-12 lead just past the halfway point of the first half. After the Hawks scored the next 5 points, Urbick’s third trey sparked a half-ending 19-5 run. Junior guard Kate Shipp added all 6 of her points in the first half to help the Cougars gain the 18-point halftime lead.
Urbick’s final 3-pointer of the game gave the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 62-40 with 8:32 to play, but San Diego Christian fought back with a 20-6 run over the next 5 minutes to close to within 8 points at 68-60. Somers scored 9 points of a 10-1 Cougar run that pushed the lead to 78-61 with just over a minute to play before the Hawks scored 4 points in the final 66 seconds for the final 13-point margin.
Junior forward Abby Johnson posted her 7th double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Johnson also blocked 3 shots, while Ferdaszewski and Somers combined for 11 steals to help force 28 San Diego Christian turnovers. Somers also dished out 7 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds to go with her 5 steals. Urbick added 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
With the win, Azusa Pacific collects its 18th win in the past 19 games, pushing the Cougars’ overall record to 20-4, making Danelle Bishop the first head coach in Cougar women’s basketball history to record 4 straight 20-win campaigns. Only once before has Azusa Pacific posted 4 straight 20-win seasons, accomplishing the feat in the 1999-02 span, but 2 different head coaches led the way (Danielle Jorgenson from 1999-01 and Matt Elofson in 2002). The Cougars are now 12-3 in GSAC play, while San Diego Christian drops to 3-18 overall and remains winless in conference play at 0-14. Azusa Pacific is off for the weekend before visiting Fresno Pacific Feb. 13 in a 5:30 p.m. contest.
