COSTA MESA – A marquee matchup in the PacWest Conference saw women's basketball take down No. 14 Azusa Pacific, 67-52, on Saturday night at the Freed Center.

The Lions led for the final three quarters and became the first team to sweep the three-time defending conference champions APU in a PacWest season series since 2020. The Blue and Gold held the Cougars to season lows in points (52) and field goals made (19). They also sealed the reigning PacWest Player of the Year, Kelly Heimburger, to a season-low 10 points on 3 of 15 from the floor.

VU's first season sweep over APU since 2013 leaps them to 14-7 and 12-3 in the conference. VU now sits in third, half a game behind Azusa Pacific (19-4, 13-3) and a full game behind Point Loma in first.

Five Lions broke double-figures in the top-table clash. Emma Schaaf's seventh double-double of the season led the pack with 15 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks. Sarah Matossian and Jaryn Madsen each hit four three-pointers on the way to 14 points each. Matossian's monster stat line also included 14 rebounds and a game-high seven assists. Aryanna Hudson was the key in the second unit, playing 33 minutes and scoring all of VU's 11 bench points. Halle Si'i rounded the double-digit scorers with 10 points, three steals and a perfect 4 of 4 from the foul line.

The shooting splits for both sides stood fairly even with the pair hitting under 40 percent from the field. VU went 33.8 (22 of 65) percent from the floor and 32.4 (12 of 37) percent from three. APU finished 32.2 (19 of 59) percent overall and 31.8 (7 of 22) percent from deep. The Lions held dominant edges in boards (49-35), second chance points (17-8) and fast break points (14-2) to bolster their lead throughout the contest.

What Happened?: The three-time defending champions started hot early, earning an 8-0 lead inside two minutes to push VU into a timeout. Madsen and Matossian, who combined for more than half the VU triples in the contest, found treys in motion to usher the Lions back on an 8-2 run. Matossian's three from the top of the key put the Lions on top 13-12, with 2:20 left in the quarter. It marked the APU lead for the remainder of the game.

Quarter two was an intense dogfight, with a heap of scrappy fouls slowing down the pace as both teams wrestled for control. The Blue and Gold went 5 of16 (31.3%) overall while the Cougars shot 4 of 19 (21.1%). Matossian hit her third three of the evening before APU stung back from deep to close within 16-15. The Blue and Gold then sprouted a 7-0 run to pull away from the visitors. Heimburger scored five of APU's final seven points in the half to drag the Cougars back, but Hudson hit two free throws to plant the halftime lead at 27-25.

Heimburger's foul trouble in the third quarter shifted the game plan for APU, but the Cougars saw immense production from their cast, having their best shooting interval at 40 (6 of 15) percent from the floor. Conversely, the Lions suffered a game-low 26 (5 of 19) percent field goal percentage in the quarter, but 10 offensive rebounds and a stream of timely shots helped VU keep the Cougars at bay. Schaaf hit both her three-pointers in the stanza and flushed one in transition to hoist the Blue and Gold to a 40-33 lead. Madsen downed the final Lion field goal of the third, as the Lions led 45-39.

The Blue and Gold took over in the final period, outscoring the Cougars 22-13. Ashlin Crabtree converted the Lions' 11th three-pointer of the game to stretch the lead to double figures at 58-46. Vanguard's control of the glass and push in transition helped maintain the scoreline, as Schaaf tucked a bucket in at the rim for the 60-48 lead. APU scored its final field goal of the game at the 4:27 mark but went empty from the floor, as VU seized control to claim the season sweep.

What Was Said?: "Proud of how we stepped up tonight after a tough loss on Wednesday," said Head Coach Russ Davis. "APU came out and got up 8-0 in the first two minutes and we regrouped to lead the last 33 minutes. We were tough on the boards in the second half, especially Sarah and Emma. To hold them to 52 points is not easy. They are an offensive machine and hard to guard. Lots of respect for them for sure. It keeps us within striking distance for the title and we own the tiebreaker against the back-to-back conference champion. Great job tonight. They worked hard."

What's Next? Women's basketball will tip off a crucial conference roadtrip, starting with Biola on Saturday, February 15 at 5:30 p.m.