SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Leading by double digits for most of the fourth quarter on Saturday, Vanguard women's basketball may have let some excitement enter the bench, but the squad did not fully celebrate until the buzzer sounded on the team's 61-47 victory over Azusa Pacific.  After the initial festivities, the 2026 Pacific West Conference Women's Basketball Tournament trophy was presented by Commissioner Brad Jones to Head Coach and PacWest Coach of the Year Russ Davis, and the squad doubled down on the delirium.
 
Vanguard led from start to finish on Saturday inside the historic Golden Gymnasium, which now holds VU lore as the site of the first PacWest Tournament Championship in school history.  In the lowest-scoring game of the tournament (108 combined points), VU stifled APU, as the Cougars 47 points were the lowest for the squad this year.  APU had only one quarter where it shot higher than 26% (31% in the third) and the Cougars were checked to a 23.4% clip (15-for-64) from the field in the contest. 
 
While the guard matchup was highlighted as a big focus of the contest, VU had something APU did not; First Team All-PacWest selection Emma Schaaf.  The sophomore tallied a game-high 18 points and hauled in a season-high 16 rebounds to lead all players.  Included in her tally was an 8-for-9 performance from the charity stripe, which was a huge difference in the matchup, as VU went 20-for-25 from the line, with APU at an 11-for-16 mark.

In addition to the team trophy, Micaela Hanning was named the MVP of the Tournament, and she was joined by Schaaf and Akilah Kubi on the All-Tournament Team.
 

The All-Tournament Team Winners

 
What was Said?
"I am so proud of our team for sticking together," said Schaaf.  "We've had so much adversity, and each time, we step up.  Can't wait to see what Regionals bring!"

"All glory to God first and foremost," relayed Kubi.  "So proud of every single person on this team, and the coaching staff for challenging us every day to have the championship mindset we displayed."

"Every chance we get to compete is a blessing," offered Hanning.  " Truly an honor to play with such amazing teammates and wise coaches.  Glory to God!  But the job is not finished!"

"What a blessing this is for our team," relayed Davis.  "They worked so hard and fought through so much adversity, and never lost sight.  To go to the NCAA Regional Tournament, win this conference and the tournament in the first year of eligibility, is really impressive and I'm so happy for them.  We are really excited to go compete at the Regional next weekend.  They are putting the selection show on tomorrow night in the caf, and we want every one to come join us.  Go Lions."

What's Next?  The NCAA Division II selection show is tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., which will show Vanguard where the West Regional will be played and who their first opponent will be.  You can find the video at the NCAA Page.
 
What Happened?  With APU missing its first three attempts, Schaaf's layup off the glass, coming off a pass from Kubi, put Vanguard ahead, which turned out to be for good.  A brace of free throws by Hanning made it 4-0, with an offensive board and a tap-in by Schaaf made it 6-0.  The Cougars finally dropped in their own layup just past the eight-minute mark, but a scoop and score by Kaylee Byon, followed by another steal and a transition jumper for Kubi, put the Lions ahead 10-2.  APU worked the gap down to five over the next three minutes to 12-7, but a layup by Kayla Boozer and a trey by Natalie Scherzer, the first three of the contest, returned Vanguard to a 17-10 advantage.  The first period was VU's best shooting the ball, as the squad went 7-of-17 from the field (41%).
 
The Cougars opened the second act with their first triple of the game, which caused the Blue and Gold to take a timeout.  Responding to the coaches, Boozer picked out Jaryn Madsen in the corner, who nailed the three, with Madsen returning the favor to Boozer in the paint on the next Vanguard possession, as her finish put the squad up 22-13.  The Cougars scored the next seven points to reduce the gap to 22-20, but that is as close as APU got all night.
 
That moment sparked the game-changing span for VU, as the squad roared from there, through halftime, and to the 5:41 mark of the third on a 20-2 run, taking all the air out of the Cougars.  The roughly 11-minute streak saw contributions across the lineup, with Aryanna Hudson potting four points, Kubi six, Hanning three, and Schaaf seven.
 
The Cougars whittled the gap down to nine at 46-37 by the end of the third, but with the teams combining for five total conversions in the fourth frame, Vanguard slammed every door shut.  The Blue and Gold deposited 11 free throws in the fourth frame on 14 attempts, besting APU, who had a 4-for-8 mark, helping to keep the lead from getting to one possession.
 
The only tricky interval was a three-minute stretch with under five to play, as APU scored five unanswered to bring the edge down to 52-46.  But two Schaaf free throws were followed by two Hanning conversions from the foul line, and the lead never dropped below 10 again.
 
Hanning played all 40 minutes and had 11 points, four boards, and two assists, with the freshman making all four of her free throws.  Kubi came up one point shy of her season-high of 11, as she went 4-for-5 from the line and tallied three field goals for 10 points.  Her nine rebounds set her career high at Vanguard.  Byon returned to the lineup and had eight points, two assists, and three rebounds.
 
Despite APU holding a 6-3 lead in shots made from downtown, the Blue and Gold dominated the paint, with a 28-14 lead in points in the paint and a 56-40 edge in rebounds.
 
In the final matchup between the schools as PacWest foes, VU improved to 35-38 all-time against the Cougars, with VU taking four of the five games between the schools since VU entered DII.