Trailing throughout much of the first half, the Cougars used a 12-0 run early in the second half and held the Royals to just 1 field goal for over 11 minutes to finally take control of a game that proved to be much more difficult than expected. Down 35-33 3 minutes into the second half, Azusa Pacific went on a 17-2 blitz, using a full-court press to force 9 Royal turnovers in a 4-minute span that translated into several easy baskets and a lead that Azusa Pacific would not relinquish.
“We need to realize that we’re a good team and that people bring their best to play against us,” said Azusa Pacific coach Danelle Liles. “It took us awhile to get going tonight, and it wasn’t until we decided to play defense that the game finally turned in our favor.”
Hope International led 29-28 at halftime, using an 11-2 run over the final 3-and-a-half minutes to retake the lead. Jasmine Nault scored 7 of her 10 first-half point during the run, hitting a trey that put the breaks on a 14-1 Cougar sprint.
Hope held a surprising 17-12 halfway through the first half. However, when Jessika Doolittle went to the bench with her second foul, Hope lost its inside presence, and Azusa Pacific took advantage with Kelsey Hudson and Alyssa Ferdaszewski scoring all 14 points in the paint.
Hudson finished with a game-high 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting, while Ferdaszewski had 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 steals.
Azusa Pacific induced a hefty 38 Royal turnovers and held Hope to just 48 shot attempts (compared to 60 for the Cougars). Nault finished with 16 points while Doolittle added 14 in 21 minutes before fouling out.
“To be honest, Hope is a very well-coached team,” said Liles. “They’re probably the most-improved team in the conference.”
Azusa Pacific has now won 9 of its past 11 games and improves to 19-6 overall, 11-3 in the GSAC, just a game behind front-running Vanguard and The Master’s. Hope International falls to 4-19 overall, 0-13 in the GSAC.
