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AZUSA, Calif. – Jordan McPhee was feeling as if she was airborne.
 
And she wasn't quite ready to come down just yet.
 
McPhee poured in a career-high 30 points on Friday night as Seattle Pacific knocked off No. 16-ranked Azusa Pacific on the Cougars' home floor in the APU West Region Crossover Classic women's basketball tournament, 80-69.

 

Senior guard McPhee hit 11 of 16 from the field and 8 of 11 free throws. She beat her previous career high of 28 points, set on Jan. 16, 2016, against Western Washington.
 
The last time a Falcon went for 30 or more points was nearly five years ago when Katie Benson put 31 on the board at – ironically enough – Azusa Pacific, in an 83-74 SPU victory on Nov. 23, 2013 in the same Felix Event Center.
 
"I just caught the ball and drove hard, and was able to finish," McPhee said. "We have a lot of high-percentage scorers, so they had to guard them, too."
 
McPhee had 10 points in the first quarter, two in the second, 13 in the third, and five in the fourth. Her 30th came on a free throw with 39 seconds left, boosting SPU's lead to 78-66.
 
"I don't know what 30 feels like, because you don't do it too often," McPhee said with a laugh.
 
"I'm definitely on Cloud 9 right now."
 
Added Falcons head coach Julie Heisey, "Jordan had the game of her life. Tonight, it was just understanding how to penetrate. She didn't take tough shots – she took good shots."
 
Senior forward Courtney Hollander added a season-high 18 points for the Falcons (3-0), who handed Azusa Pacific (6-1) ifs first loss.

 

"Azusa was scratching and clawing, and even when we were up 10, it seemed kind of scary, to be honest," Heisey said. "The kids did a good job of managing the clock. We had a couple of untimely turnovers, but for the most part, we played pretty solid."
 
SPU fell into an early 10-2 hole, and was down 33-24 midway through the second quarter. But it closed the half with a 15-7 run to get within 40-39 at the break.
 
The Falcons immediately jumped ahead at the outset of the third quarter, 41-40, on a basket by senior forward Erica Pagano. She added a free throw a few moments later for a 42-40 lead. Azusa tied it once more at 42-42 before Seattle Pacific ran off five points in a row, and never trailed or was never tied again.
 
Up 60-54 to open the fourth quarter, the lead was cut to four just 10 seconds into it on a lay-up by APU sophomore guard Savanna Hanson, a graduate of nearby King's High School who finished with 23 points. But Seattle Pacific kept the Cougars scoreless for the next 5 minutes, 17 seconds, and tacked on seven more points of its own to open the first double-digit lead by either team, at 67-56.
 
Azusa Pacific never came closer than nine after that.
 
"We just kept focusing on defense and getting stops," McPhee said. "We played our game. We have so many seniors, we just stayed poised. We knew it wasn't over in just those five minutes. We had to play the whole 40."
 
This was the second straight year the Falcons took down a nationally ranked team in this tournament. Last Nov. 18 in Bellingham, they beat then-No. 17 UC San Diego, 62-45.

BY THE NUMBERS
-- McPhee also had nine rebounds, four steals, two assists, and even a blocked shot.
-- SPU had its best shooting night of the season, hitting 48.4 percent (30 of 62).
-- Senior guard Lindsay Lee factored into 11 of the points during the decisive 15-6 run that stretched the lead from 60-56 to 75-62. Lee hit a pair of 3-pointers, assisted on a lay-in by Julia Haining, then assisted on Jaylee Albert's 3-pointer.
-- Lee had a career-high seven rebounds, nearly double her previous best of four.
-- Coach Julie Heisey said one of the goals was to keep Azusa off the free throw line, as the Cougars were averaging 14 makes and 19 attempts per game. On Friday, they were just 3 of 4. At the other end, the Falcons drained 14 of 18.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific faces UC San Diego in a battle of 3-and-0 teams on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The Tritons beat Western Washington in Friday's first game, 56-49.


NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Azusa Pacific West Region Crossover Classic
Friday, Nov. 17, 2017
Felix Event Center / Azusa, Calif.
 
Seattle Pacific 80, (No. 16) Azusa Pacific 69
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (3-0)
Jaylee Albert 1-3 0-0 3, Jordan McPhee 11-16 8-11 30, Julia Haining 2-6 0-0 4, Courtney Hollander 6-11 3-3 18, Lindsay Lee 3-5 0-0 7, Cici West 1-1 0-0 2, Rachel Shim 0-4 0-0 0, Madi Hingston 0-0 0-0 0, Hailee Bennett 2-6 2-2 6, Erica Pagano 3-8 1-2 7, Carly Rataushk 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-62 14-18 80.
 
AZUSA PACIFIC (6-1)
Zoe Mrch 3-11 0-0 6, Tara Casey 2-8 0-0 6, Savanna Hanson 10-16 2-2 23, Abbigail Goodsell 4-14 0-0 10, Casey Wortley 4-10 0-0 9, Samantha Huddleston 2-4 0-0 4, Gina Henderson 2-6 0-0 4, Meg van Rijn 0-0 0-0 0, Rachel Bozlee 2-5 0-0 6, Daylee Hanson 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 29-69 3-4 69.
 
Seattle Pacific     17           22           21           20           -- 80
Azusa Pacific       19           21           14           15           -- 69
 
3-point goals – SPU 6-17 (Albert 1-3, Hollander 3-6, Lee 2-3, Shim 0-3, Bennett 0-1, Pagano 0-1), SPU 8-26 (March 0-3, Casey 2-3, Hanson 1-3, Goodsell 2-8, Wortley 1-4, Bozlee 2-5). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – SPU 41 (McPhee 9), APU 35 (Hanson 7). Assists – SPU 14, (Lee 3, Bennett 3), APU 13 (March 8). Turnovers – SPU 23, APU 20. Total fouls – SPU 15, APU 18. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 175.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific vs. UC San Diego
Saturday, 5:30 p.m.
Felix Event Center / Azusa, Calif.