FRESNO, Calif.  – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team was tripped up on Saturday, falling 71-44 against Azusa Pacific at the Special Events Center.
 
The Cougars controlled the opening tip before Abigail Goodsell gave the team a 3-0 lead 57 seconds into the game. FPU shot 41% from the floor in the second quarter, but APU ended the half on a 14-3 run to carry a 36-23 lead into the locker room at intermission.
 
The Sunbirds struggled to shoot the ball in the second half, connecting on just 13% of their shot attempts. Megan Lee connected on three of her six three-pointers during the final 20 minutes to pace the FPU offense with 11 points.
 
Lee finished her night with 16 points to lead the Blue and Orange in that category for the second straight time. Viviana Vasquez hauled in a team-high eight rebounds, while Ashley Cross dished out four assists.
 
Gabrielle Kaiser turned in an impressive performance for APU, recording a double-double while leading all scorers in points (23) and rebounds (11). Goodsell and freshman Zoe March went for 13 and 11 points respectively, combining with Kaiser for nearly 67% of the team's offense.
 
The Sunbirds won the turnover battle for the 10th time in 11 games, forcing 22 and committing only 18 on Saturday. Azusa Pacific played to their strengths, using the size advantage to collect 50 of the game's 80 total rebounds.
 
Fresno pacific is set to return to action on Thursday, when they take on Dominican in the final road game of the season. Tipoff from the Conlan Center in San Rafael is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.