AZUSA, Calif. – Vanguard women's basketball was lights out in a thrilling 86-79 win against the three-time defending conference champions Azusa Pacific on Wednesday night at the Felix Event Center on Wednesday. The Blue and Gold became the first team in almost two years to beat the Cougars in league play, as the Lions ended APU's 31-game unbeaten run in PacWest regular season games dating back to February 2023.
Vanguard finishes its four-game road trip with a memorable win to jump to 9-5 overall and 7-1 in the league. APU was dislodged at the top of the standings and drops to 14-2 and 8-1 in the PacWest.
Emma Schaaf was a dominant force on the floor in her career-high 23-point, 12-rebound performance. The freshman also added three steals, two assists and one block to her double-double on the road. Halle Si'i was the showstopper in the fourth quarter, scoring 12 of her 21 points in the final period. She also finished with five assists and three rebounds. Ashlin Crabtree went 5 of 8 from deep en route to her 17 points and six rebounds. Sarah Matossian added 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Jaryn Madsen contributed 10 points and four rebounds in the win.
The Cougars were led by reigning PacWest Player and Defender of the Year Kelly Heimburger, who had a career-high 31 points on 11 of 15 shooting.
What Happened?: The first half set the standard for a game with high tempo pressing and sustained sharpshooting from both sides. Matossian hit the first of four Lion triples in the opening quarter to put the Blue and Gold up 5-0. APU marched its way back and Heimburger converted at the free throw line to flip the score 9-8 in favor of the Cougars. It would stand as the only APU lead in the contest, as Vanguard was behind for just three seconds across the 40 minutes played.
Schaaf was troublesome down the lane and cleaned up a scrappy fast break to put VU up 23-13. With the combined pressure on the offensive glass and reliable VU boxouts, the Blue and Gold dictated control of the rock, winning the final rebound battle 38-27. APU was clinical when driving and kicking the ball out to the three-point line. In the second quarter, the Cougars hit seven of their season-best 16 threes to keep the Lions on their toes. However, VU remained composed with crisp offensive sets, giving angles for Aryanna Hudson and Crabtree to hit big threes in response and build a 46-34 halftime lead.
While Crabtree had 12 at the break, it was VU's other sharpshooter in Madsen who got going in the second half. The junior scored seven of her ten points in the third quarter and sunk a timely three to make it 60-53 VU and snip into APU's 13-4 run. The Lions ended the quarter with another patient possession in transition and found the trailing Matossian, who notched the three and solidified a 10-point, 68-58 lead heading into the fourth.
The Cougars won the fourth quarter 21-18 and were aggressive with an 11-5 push to cut VU's advantage down to four at 73-69. Si'i then stepped into gear to score 11 of the Blue and Gold's final 13 points. She pulled out a hesitation pull-up and nailed the three from the left side to put VU up seven, then scored on two straight drives to the hole as VU maintained an 80-77 edge with 1:23 to go. The final minute for both teams was spent with a flurry of timeouts and free throws, as Si'i and the Lions were steady at the charity stripe to secure their biggest win of the season so far.
What Was Said?: "We really played a great all-around game," voiced Head Coach Russ Davis. "APU is extremely tough and we have a ton of respect for them. To be the top team on their court was a great win for us. Emma had a huge performance for us on both sides of the floor. Ash played 40 minutes and got some big offensive boards down the stretch. Halle hit a huge three late in the fourth and took us home with her free throws at the end. Balanced scoring with five in double-figures. Really proud of the team tonight, they really worked hard,"
What's Next?: Women's basketball returns home to face Hawaii Pacific on Saturday, January 18 at 1:00 p.m.
