UC Davis 72
AZUSA, Calif.-- Sarah Leathers and Monica Somers each scored a team-high 15 points and had what turned out to be the game-tying and game-winning shots as Azusa Pacific held off NCAA Division I UC Davis for a 75-72 overtime win in a non-conference game Friday in the Felix Event Center.
The win is the Cougars’ third straight and moves them to 6-2 overall. It is their first-ever win over an NCAA Division I team. UC Davis, which plays at UC Irvine tomorrow night, falls to 2-6.
For Leathers, her 15 points is a career-high and none were bigger than her third trey of the game that tied the score at 67-67 with 3:11 left in overtime. Somers scored her final points on a jumper with 1:33 to play that gave the Cougars a 69-67 lead they would not lose.
“Sarah’s hasn’t been feeling her shot in games, but tonight, you could tell in her eyes that it was there,” said Azusa Pacific head coach Danelle Liles. “Monica wants to win so bad. Sometimes it can hurt us, but tonight she came out focused and ready to go, and she hit some big shots.”
Five Cougars finished in double-figures, including Kelsey Hudson, who hit a desperation jumper as the shot clock expired with 32 seconds left to give the Cougars a 4-point (71-67) lead. The Aggies twice cut the deficit to one, but Hudson and Ashley Oakes each converted 4 free throws to ice the game.
The Cougars forced 24 turnovers, including 16 in the final 25 minutes. It is the fifth time this season they have forced at least 20 turnovers.
“Our defense at the end of the game, and particularly Sarah’s, picked us up tonight,” said Liles. “We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now. We’re going to into every game believing we’re going to win.”
Lindsay Rice finished with 13 points and a game-high 17 rebounds for her third double-double in the past 4 games.
Kimberly Smith led the Aggies with a game-high 18 points, connecting on 4-of-9 from downtown.
In the final minutes of regulation, Ellen Porshneva hit a jumper with 4:35 to play to give the Aggies a 58-52 lead, but the Cougars clamped down and held the Aggies scoreless for the next 2:52 while scoring 10 straight points to take a 62-58 lead with 2:09 to play. Jackie Turpin hit a pair of free throws with 1:43 to play and then buried a running 6-footer with 31 seconds to play to tie the game at 62-62. Both teams had a chance to get the game-winner in the waning seconds, but neither team converted thus forcing overtime.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” said Liles. “We’d make a run, then lose it. But when it came crunch time, we pulled through. I’m real proud of our freshmen.”
The first half was a half of streaks. The Cougars opened the game with 10-4 run before UC Davis went on a 15-2 run over a 5:44 span capped by an Amy Glassman trey to take a 19-12 lead with 11:07 to play. However, the Aggies went stone cold for the next 6:37 missing all 6 of its field goals and committing 6 more turnovers.
Meanwhile, the Cougars took full advantage scoring 15 straight points, 7 of them from Lindsay Rice, to open a 27-19 advantage, the final 3 coming on a 3-point play by Rice with 4:47 remaining.
The Aggies, though, closed the half with a 12-4 spurt, keyed by 5 points apiece from Jessica Campbell and Glassman, to knot the game at 31-31 at the half.
Alyssa Ferdaszewski chipped in with 10 points. Leathers scored 10 of her 15 in the second half and overtime. She also nabbed a pair of key steals in the second half and assisted on Somers’ game-winner.
“It starts with defense, and we came out really hard tonight and picked it up at the end,” said Leathers. “The defense helps us with our offense. I know it gave me confidence on my offense. This shows that if we play defense, we can beat anybody.”
