Women’s Basketball
Top Performers
APU: Kelly Hardeman 14 pts, 17 reb, 3 stl, 2 blk
FPU: Jenay Herring 15 pts, 2 stl, 1 ast
Azusa Pacific women’s basketball dominated Fresno Pacific 67-49 in Saturday’s Senior Day game.
The Cougars started out a bit rough with their shooting and defense but quickly adjusted. They took the lead with just under eight minutes left in the first half, 22-13. The Cougars maintained the edge going into the half with a score of 36-25.
Fresno Pacific came out in the second half trying to speed up the pace of the game, but the Cougars were able to go blow-for-blow with the Sunbirds. With just under 12 minutes left the game, the Cougars held a 48-34 lead before closing out the rest of the contest.
Jenay Herring was the leading scorer of the game with 15 points for Fresno Pacific, followed closely by Azusa Pacific’s junior forward Kelly Hardeman, who had her 15th double-double of the season (14 points, 17 rebounds).
“I was pleased defensively. We did a good job,” coach Hardeman said. “We got hands up on their major players, and … we just wanted to focus defensively.”
The game marked the end of the regular season and final career contest inside the Felix Event Center for the two Cougar seniors, Katie Powell and Lisha Elsenbach.
Powell is the program’s only four-year senior. Elsenbach joined the APU squad after transferring her junior year from Cal Poly Pomona.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better for my final years of college basketball,” Elsenbach said. “Coach Hardeman really emphasizes having fun on the court but also working hard, and that’s been a great fit for me.”
The Cougars finished their season 18-9 (14-6 PacWest) and will advance to the PacWest tournament hosted by Concordia University in Irvine. APU is set to take on Academy of Art in the first round on March 5.
Men’s Basketball
Top Performers
APU: Troy Leaf 21 pts, 5 ast, 3 stl
FPU: Trevon Clayton 19 pts, 13 reb, 1 ast
The APU men had as little trouble as the women, cruising to a 99-77 win that secured the team a share of the PacWest regular-season championship title.
The first 5 1/2 minutes were controlled by the Sunbirds, who led 11-7. The Cougars were able to overcome their slow start and finished the half with a 44-38 lead.
The leading scorer at the half was Fresno State forward Trevon Clayton with 12 points, followed closely by Troy Leaf, who started out very rough but pulled himself together to score 11 first-half points.
Both teams came out in the second half playing very fast-paced basketball. With just over 12 minutes left in the game, Azusa Pacific forced the Sunbirds to use a timeout because the Cougars began to pull away with an 10 point lead, 65-55.
The Cougars continued to pour on the pressure with their high-tempo offense, leading 80-64 with seven minutes remaining and eventually closing the game with the win.
Leaf led the game in points with 21. His performance was complemented very well by freshman forward Petar Kutlesic, who had a double-double, scoring 14 points and snatching 14 rebounds.
“This team will be most remembered for how they were a true team and how they competed together. This team is deep because it’s different guys on different nights,” said APU head coach Justin Leslie.
The Senior Day game honored the starting five: guard Troy Leaf, guard Robert Sandoval, forward Christian Katuala, forward Andy Jones and guard Kevin Stafford.
“The five of us [seniors] have been doing this all year. We have been doing it for four years, so we know how to stay constant and how to handle runs, and we know our run is coming,” Leaf said.
Before the Cougars took to the basketball court, they had a surprise visit from a former president of APU, Dr. Richard Felix.
“I always tell them how many eyes are on them and how many people care about this program. He lives in Colorado, and he comes out and knows the names of the players because he has been following us,” Leslie said. “I want the guys to know that that is the guy who put Azusa Pacific on the map. We’re a leading university as a result of his leadership.”
Azusa Pacific now improves to 24-4 and is conference champion for the first time since 2006.
“It’s been a long process, and it’s very gratifying for this to have worked out with a conference championship,” Leslie said. “This locker room is special. There’s no other guys like it. It’s not all talent, but these guys will work and compete and they’ll win.”
The Cougars share the PacWest title with Dixie State. Both teams have earned a first-round bye in the conference tournament. APU will play March 6 in Irvine the winner of the California Baptist vs. Hawai’i Pacific matchup.