SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos women's basketball team (1-0) earned a 58-52 victory over Azusa Pacific (0-1) in its home opener at The Sports Center on Friday morning.

TOP PERFORMERS

• Sophie Morales – 15 points | 5 rebounds | 4 assists | 6-of-9 FG
• Sydney Hani – 16 points | 10 rebounds | 2 steals | 6-of-10 FG
• Kaity Haan – 6 points | 16 rebounds | 2 blocks | 2 steals
• Maddie Leiva – 6 points | 2 rebounds | 2-of-4 FG | 2-of-3 3PT

HOW IT HAPPENED

• CSUSM opened the game strong, taking a 15-9 lead after the first quarter behind a balanced attack and 40% (6-of-15) shooting.
• The Cougars built their largest lead of the game at nine points (22-13) midway through the second quarter before Azusa Pacific closed the gap; CSUSM led 22-20 at halftime after shooting 33.3% (9-of-17) to APU's 22.2 (8-of-36) %.
• The third quarter featured a flurry of lead changes—10 in total for the game—with APU using an 8-0 run to grab its biggest lead of seven points (45-38) late in the period.
• CSUSM responded in the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run starting at the 2:05 mark to reclaim control, capped by Kaity Haan's layup that pushed the lead to five.
• Sophie Morales hit a clutch three-pointer with 4:32 remaining to give CSUSM a 52-49 advantage, a lead the Cougars never relinquished.
• The game was tied seven times, including at 47-47 with 6:47 left before CSUSM surged ahead for good.
• CSUSM outscored APU 20-7 in the final quarter, shooting 35.3% (6-of-17) from the field and 60% (6-of-18) from three-point range in the period.

 
QUICK HITS

• CSUSM shot 33.3% (20-of-60) from the field and 33.3% (6-of-18) from beyond the arc, while APU finished at 25.0% (18-of-72) and 21.1% (8-of-38).
• The Cougars won the battle on the glass 55-41, led by Kaity Haan's game-high 16 rebounds.
• CSUSM held a 24-16 advantage in points in the paint and outscored APU 14-12 in bench points.
• Both teams committed 25 turnovers, but CSUSM converted for 12 points off giveaways compared to APU's 13.
• All-time, CSUSM improves to 3-5 against Azusa Pacific and 1-0 at The Sports Center versus the Cougars from the PacWest.

UP NEXT
CSUSM continues play in the CCAA/PacWest Challenge on Saturday, Nov. 15, hosting Point Loma at 1 p.m. in The Sports Center.