Women’s Basketball
Azusa Pacific women’s basketball handed Notre Dame de Namur its fourth PacWest loss in a 68-59 victory for the Cougars.
The Cougars claimed the lead within the first five minutes following tipoff, however, never led by more than five points through the end of the first half. The Argonauts knotted the score four times and held a slight advantage in shooting, hitting 42.9 percent of their shots from the field compared with the Cougars’ 39.3 percent.
Azusa Pacific entered the half with a 31-28 advantage. Significant efforts from NDDNU, however, led to three lead changes and two tied scores in the first 10 minutes of the second half before APU found and held on to the lead that would end the game.
Junior forward Kelly Hardeman grabbed her seventh consecutive double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Miriam Zabinksy followed with 15 points. Sophomore forward Maggie Dumphy finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Maya Arellanes led the Argonauts with 16 points, while her teammate Kirsten Liana had a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double performance. Notre Dame de Namur’s bench outscored Azusa Pacific’s 15-5.
The Cougars are now 3-1 in conference. They will take on preseason PacWest favorite Academy of Art on Saturday, Dec. 20.
Men’s Basketball
The Azusa Pacific men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to 10 games with a 70-67 win over Notre Dame de Namur on Thursday.
Other than one tied score early in the first half, the Cougars controlled the entire game. The team ended the first half with a 15-point lead before going on to maintain the double-digit margin for more than five minutes into the second half.
The Argonauts cut the Cougars’ lead to one-point twice in the final 10 seconds of regulation, during which the teams combined for four fouls and eight free-throw chances. Senior guard Robert Sandoval hit two free throws with four seconds remaining, putting the Cougars ahead by three. Notre Dame de Namur’s Jamaal Davis missed a 3-point shot in the last second, sealing APU’s victory.
Senior guard Troy Leaf, senior Christian Katuala and junior forward Jared Zoller each contributed 12 points, while Sandoval rounded out the team’s double-digit scoring efforts with 10. Zoller and the rest of the bench produced 33 points total.
Four Argonauts also scored in double digits, led by Jalen Young with 17 points. Their bench also had strong production with 35 points.
The Cougars are now 11-1 overall and hold the longest current winning streak in the PacWest. They will travel to Academy of Art on Saturday.