(SAN DIEGO) PLNU Women's Basketball put on a show for the Point Loma community on Saturday afternoon.
On Community Day in Golden Gym, PLNU routed first-placed Azusa Pacific by a score of 80-55 for its largest margin of victory against APU since Feb. 17, 2005.
The Cougars entered the day tied atop the conference standings, but the Sea Lions' win catapults PLNU up to second place ahead of APU and avenges its loss in Azusa back on Dec. 20.
Eiley Tippins went on personal 7-0 run in the first quarter to give Point Loma a lead it wouldn't relinquish, as the PacWest Player of the Week tied her career high with 25 points.
Ruby Vlahov (15 points) made three of PLNU's five 3-pointers to also score in double figures, while freshman
Emma Sales (13 points) set a new career high with 13 points off the bench.
Vlahov beat the shot clock with a banked 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the first quarter to give PLNU a 20-12 advantage after one, before the Sea Lions opened the second on a 9-0 run to go up by double digits.
Cassidy Bartolotto's triple then put the hosts up by 20, as PLNU went into the locker room ahead, 43-22.
Point Loma led by as many as 36 in the fourth quarter following four straight free throws from Tippins, before eventually posting its second biggest margin of victory this season.
Izzy Navarro had seven assists and seven steals, helping the Sea Lions get out in transition and outscore the Cougars 21-10 in fastbreak points.
Nine PLNU players scored in total, with
Jocelyn Pascual and
Hannah Golan scoring eight points each to nearly join Tippins, Vlahov and Sales in double figures.
Point Loma (13-4 overall, 9-2 PacWest) has now won five straight going into its next game at Vanguard, now in solo possession of first place in the conference standings, on Saturday in Costa Mesa at 2 p.m.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
