Azusa Pacific 58
NAIA Tournament
Sweet 16
JACKSON, Tenn.-- Oklahoma City had 5 players in double-figures and used a 24-2 first half run to run away from Azusa Pacific, 106-58, in the second round of the 2005 NAIA Division I Basketball Tournament Friday afternoon.
The 106 points is a tournament high and is the most points scored in the tournament since Union (Tenn.) scored 108 in 1999. Also, the 48-point setback is the second largest margin of defeat for Azusa Pacific, only worse than a 50-point setback to Califorina Baptist in 1991.
With the win, the Stars improve to 30-6 and move into the quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. They also avenge an earlier one-point loss to the Cougars back in December in Azusa.
Azusa Pacific, which yesterday won its first tournament game in 25 years, concludes its season at 24-11.
The Stars used a pressure defense in the half court to force the Cougars into just 29% (20-for-69) shooting from the floor as well as 28 turnovers. They also held the Cougars to 0-of-17 from beyond the arc.
“We didn’t adjust well to their size and their pressure,” said Cougar coach Danelle Liles. “They are a great team and did what they needed to do. We didn’t shoot well and turned the ball over too much.”
Then on the offensive end, they relied on the inside duo of 6-2 Sadio Sangare and 6-4 Mariam Sy, who were just too much for the Cougars.
Sangare finished with a game-high 26 points, including 16 in the second half. Sy had just 14, but got all of them in the first half. They combined for 24 first half points as the Stars took a 49-28 lead into the locker-room and then never led by less than 19 the rest of the way, gradually pushing their lead up to 50 at one point.
Lindsay Rice led Azusa Pacific with 18 points and 10 rebounds in her final collegiate game.
Rice gave the Cougars a quick 4-2 lead, but then Kenzi Bond banged her only 3-pointer of the game for the first 3 of 11 straight Oklahoma City points that gave the Stars a 13-4 lead just 4:20 into the game. The Cougars fought back, though, and Rice buried another jumper from the free throw line to bring the Cougars within 3 (17-14) with 12:42 to play in the half.
At that point, the Stars, keyed by 8 points from Sy, proceeded to score 24 of the next 26 points. They held the Cougars without a field goal and just 2 free throws over a 7:15 span as they jumped out to an insurmountable 41-16 lead with 5 minutes to play in the half.
During the run, the Cougars were 0-for-8 from the field and committed 10 of their 12 first half turnovers.
“We came out very timid in the first half, and a good team like Oklahoma City is going to capitalize on it,” said Liles. “It just wasn’t our night, and they took advantage.”
Three-time All-GSAC Lindsey West was the only other Cougar to finish in double-figures as she finished with 11 points and 7 rebounds. Senior Kelsey Hudson, who scored a tournament-best 30 points in yesterday’s win, was held to just 6 points, but she did grab 5 rebounds.
