Top Performers
APU: Kelly Hardeman 26 pts, 12 reb, 5 ast
CBU: Kamille Diaz 29 pts, 3 ast, 1 stl
Azusa Pacific women’s basketball team defeated PacWest rival California Baptist 92-84 in overtime on Saturday in front of a home crowd of over 1,500 people.
The Cougars’ opening run lifted them to a 21-8 lead within the first eight minutes. A 13-0 response from the Lancers knotted the score at 21 three minutes later — one of seven ties and four lead changes in the first 20 minutes to set the tone for the back-and-forth game.
APU pulled away in the final minutes of the first half, leading 40-34 at halftime. The momentum carried it into the second half, maintaining the edge till the final minute. The Cougars led 80-77 with 23 seconds left on the clock — enough time and a close enough deficit for the Lancers’ Kamille Diaz to hit her seventh 3-pointer of the night, this time a contested shot from NBA range and sending the game into overtime.
“If we had it to do it over, we would have [fouled] earlier,” head coach T.J. Hardeman said of the final moments.
Nonetheless, the Cougars managed to come out on top in the overtime period. CBU sent them to the line for 12 shots, where they earned 10 of their 12 overtime points. The Lancers were limited to just four points in the five-minute period.
“We just said: ‘We’re not going to give this up right now. We deserve this game. Let’s go. Let’s win it,'” junior forward Kelly Hardeman said.
Hardeman and junior guard Cydnie Jones each posted double-doubles for the Cougars. Jones’ 25 points were a career-high while Hardeman’s two blocks broke a program record.
“[Jones] was phenomenal tonight. We’ve challenged her to direct and to not get down,” coach Hardeman said. “She’s a terror on defense because she’s so fast, but she’s also getting better and better at directing what we want to do.”
CBU’s Diaz notched a game-high 29 points, shooting 7-for-13 beyond the arc. Darsha Burnside led the game with 18 rebounds, seven of which were offensive, helping the Lancers grab those 24 second-chance points.
Azusa Pacific and California Baptist have each clinched PacWest Championship tournament berths. The Cougars, now 13-6 in conference (17-9 overall), have one regular-season game remaining against Fresno Pacific at home Feb. 28.