COSTA MESA -- Returning to Golden State Athletic Conference action Saturday afternoon, Vanguard women's basketball completed a home sweep of the Arizona schools.  The Lions washed away the Arizona Christian Firestorm 87-66 at OCC, helped out by 32 points in the first quarter.  Fans were treated to another double-double by Melissa Akullu (JR/Kampala, Uganda), who posted 21 points and 13 rebounds to lead all players in the game.  Lauren Baumgartner (SR/Meridian, ID) and Airiana Madanski (JR/Gilbert, AZ) each were strong from beyond the arc, netting 18 points each.  VU goes to 11-3 overall and 5-2 in league play, while ACU falls to 7-9 overall and 3-4 in conference action.

What Happened? A second-straight first quarter blitz helped to shore up the game for the Lions.  A quick 5-0 edge was gained thanks to a layup for Akullu and the first three of the night for Baumgartner.  The Firestorm then made a surprising run back into the action, posting a 9-3 streak over the next four minutes.  But the final 5:30 of the frame belonged to the Lions, who went from being down 9-8 to ahead 32-14 as part of a massive 24-6 run.  Vanguard shot 54.5% from the field in the first and 53.8% from downtown, as the team set a season-high for points in the first.  Madanski had 12 points off the bench, with Akullu and Halle Si'i (FR/Long Beach, CA) each collecting seven points. 

The second period saw the Lions outscored by the Firestorm, as ACU tried again to rally.  A 10-4 hot streak for the visitors did some damage, with the lead coming down to nine at 36-27 at the 5:34 mark.  Even though Arizona Christian had its best shooting mark of the game at 62.5%, Vanguard was able to keep the lead from going down below two possessions.  Clutch shots from Estefania Giner (SR/Chihuahua, Mexico) and Akullu towards the end of the second helped keep VU up by 7, as the Lions led 45-38 lead at halftime.

Jaryn Madsen (FR/Warden, WA) opened the second half with two free throws and the squad was able to get back above a 10-point lead thanks to threes from Faith Boss (FR/Torrance, CA) and Airiana Madanski.  The Firestorm kept the gap from getting higher, but they cooled off in the attacking end, as they shot 36.4% from the field in the frame.  A three from Boss with 44 seconds to go and a late jumper from Baumgartner with three seconds left put the Lions ahead 70-55 entering the final period of play.

The Lions opened the fourth with an 8-4 run to push the lead to 78-59.  Akullu led the Blue and Gold with five points in the fourth, with Giner netting four.  Sarah Matossian (SO/Laguna Niguel, CA) also collected all three of her points in the final 10 minutes of action.  The lead was never in doubt and the horn sounded on an 87-66 victory for the Lions.

Vanguard shot 46.6% from the field and 39.4% from downtown for the game.  The squad also went 6-for-9 from the free throw line (66.7%).  ACU shot 42.9% from the field for the contest, made 25% of shots taken from three points range, and went 13-for-22 from the charity stripe (59.1%).  VU made nearly triple the amount of threes made by Firestorm (13-5) in the game.  The Lions also won the rebound battle 46-30, with the team again owning a healthy edge on the offensive glass 16-6, as Akullu notched six herself.  The Lions also had a 21-8 lead in the assist category, with Baumgartner leading the way with six.  In addition to making some good passes, Baumgartner was 4-of-6 from deep, with Madanski going 6-for-11 from outside the arc on the day.  Giner had 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Blue and Gold. Si'i had nine points and five assists.

Why is it Important?  With Hope International winning again, the Lions are one game back out of second but now hold sole possession of third, with WJU losing.  The Master's are now in fourth.  This was the first win in three games against ACU for the Lions, who improve to 16-4 all-time against the Firestorm.  Akullu is on a four-game double-double streak and the Lions have now won four in a row. 

What was Said?  "We are fortunate we got a big lead," said Head Coach Russ Davis.  "We let them back into the ball game, but we then got the lead back to what it was.  Airiana set the stage with five threes in the first quarter.  It was a good win for us, as we battled foul trouble and ACU kept coming at us.  Happy to get two homes wins."

What's Next? The Lions will complete the three-game home set on Thursday, January 12, at 5:30 p.m.  The Lions will square off with HIU for the first time this season, with second place on the line.