Saturday in APU's Felix Center, Concordia and the Cougars faced off in their second PacWest matchup of the year. Although the Eagles controlled the first half of the game, Azusa Pacific proved why they are the no. 19 team in the second half and outlasted the Eagles for an 83-59 conference win. 

First Half Fire: The Eagles utilized their three-point shooting to accumulate points in the first half, besting the Cougars from behind the arc 46.7 percent to 11.8 percent. Of Concordia's seven successful deep shots, two came from Montana Walters, who racked up nine points with two assists in the first twenty of play. Senior Portia Neale added a duo and freshman Michaela Vanderklugt went 2-2 to help her reach a double digit first half. The teams traded points in the first period, but two free throws from Walters gave the Eagles a slim two-point lead. A Cougar run of seven kicked off the second, but the Eagles slowed them down with five three-pointers in the final six minutes of play to take a 35-31 lead going into the break.

APU Attacks: APU started off the third quarter hot and embarked on a 14-2 run to flip the control of the game in its favor. With the APU engine rolling, Riley Friauf sank a three to cut the Cougars' lead to seven, but the Cougars went on to post 30 points in the third while containing Concordia to seven to take a 61-42 advantage entering the final period. In the last 10, Concordia improved on its scoring in the third. They posted 17 points, but it wasn't enough to reclaim the lead over the Cougars. 

Eagle Eye: Vanderklugt led the charge with 14 points, three rebounds, one block and one steal. Walters posted 11 points, three bounds and three assists. Friauf had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while Riley Fulcher also added 10. 

What's Next: Concordia, now 10-8 and 7-5 in conference, looks to make it two-straight against the Lancers (5-6 PWC, 8-11). Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. on Feb. 1st in the Riverside, Calif.