(SAN DIEGO) For the second time this season, PLNU Women's Basketball nearly upset Azusa Pacific, but the 12th-ranked Cougars once again escaped with a victory, this time 68-63.
 
"I'm very proud of our team tonight," Head Coach Charity Elliott said. "We battled and fought until the end. I continue to be excited for this last stretch of conference and preparing for the conference tourney."
 
Point Loma raced out to an 8-0 lead, holding APU scoreless for over the first five minutes of the game.
 
APU scored the next eight points to tie the game before taking a 12-10 lead after the opening quarter.
 
PLNU then scored 25 points in the second quarter, as Ellie Turk's 3-pointer late in the half helped the Sea Lions take a 35-30 advantage going into the locker room.
 

Ellie Turk's 3-pointer helps @PLNU_WBB take a 35-30 halftime lead over #12 Azusa Pacific. pic.twitter.com/brwyF8ldfv

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) February 10, 2024

 
Turk then made back-to-back triples at the start of the third quarter to increase Point Loma's lead, but the Cougars scored the final four points of the period to go up by one entering the fourth.
 
The two teams then went back and forth, as Tavia Rowell got the Sea Lions back to within three with 1:40 remaining.
 
However, APU held PLNU scoreless for the remainder of the game to remain unbeaten in PacWest play and end Point Loma's five-game winning streak.
 
Rowell led all scorers with 18 points, while Turk added 14.
 

No. 12 Azusa Pacific escapes with a 68-63 victory over @PLNU_WBB to remain unbeaten in @ThePacWest. pic.twitter.com/KC8PFY4lgv

— PLNU Sea Lions (@PLNUSeaLions) February 11, 2024

 
"Ellie us as a senior captain should and Tavia continues to produce offensively for us," Elliott said. "We're excited to get back to work on Monday."
 
Point Loma (13-10 overall, 9-6 PacWest) returns to the court on Thursday at Concordia. Tip-off in Irvine is scheduled for 5 p.m.