Box score (PDF)
 
AZUSA, Calif. – A newcomer and a veteran came up big on Friday night for Seattle Pacific.
 
But national No. 4-ranked Azusa Pacific came up even bigger.
 
 

Freshman post player Kayla Brundidge made a double-dazzling debut for the Falcons with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and senior guard Madi Hingston pumped in 14 points, but APU took command with an 11-0 scoring run and went on to a 76-58 victory in the West Region Crossover Classic women's basketball tournament, 76-58.
 
Playing on their home court at the Felix Event Center, the Cougars (3-0) rang up those 11 straight points in a stretch of 5 minutes, 20 seconds spanning the first and second quarters. That snapped a 5-5 tie and produced a 16-5 lead as the Falcons missed seven straight shots, including three lay-ups.
 
 

"When you miss those easy shots, it puts way more pressure on your defense and creates more chances for momentum to swing," head coach Mike Simonson said. "It's hard to get stops and stops and stops for 40 minutes. The stretches that we did, I thought we looked pretty good. But at the end of the day, they're the No. 4 team in the country for a reason."
 
By the midpoint of the second quarter, Azusa was up 22-11, and kept it in double-digits the rest of the night.
 
Brundidge is a 2018 graduate of Seattle's Garfield High School, a long-time state girls basketball powerhouse. She spent last year at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School, then returned to the Northwest and joined Seattle Pacific.
 
An injury kept Brundidge on the sidelines for last week's season-opening games on the road against Humboldt State and Fresno Pacific. On Friday, she came off the bench and racked up those impressive numbers in just 17 minutes of playing time. Brundidge hit 8 of 10 from the floor and one of her two free throws.
 
"For her to come out and do what she did was very impressive in her first college game," Simonson said. "She's athletic, she's fast, she's strong. To be as efficient as she was is kudos to her. And I loved her no-fear mentality."
 
Hingston came through with a solid night, as well. She hit 5 of 10, with four of those from behind the 3-point arc. Hingston also handed out four assists.
 
"She did a great job of taking what the defense gave her," Simonson said. "She made open shots, she made great passes, and she did some great things defensively. I'm pleading with her to be a little more aggressive at times, because when she does things, it's usually good things."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Azusa Pacific had a big advantage at the free throw line, draining 21 of 23. That included 9 of 10 during the third quarter when it completed four traditional three-point plays on nine field goals. The Falcons went to the line 10 times, hitting five.
-- After trailing by a 34-19 count at halftime, SPU essentially played even with the Cougars during the second half.  Azusa had a 42-39 scoring edge through the final 20 minutes. "The second half, we probably had the best half of basketball that anyone has had against them this year," Simonson said.
-- Junior guard Abril Rexach Roure handed out eight of Seattle Pacific's 18 assists. Last year as a sophomore at Eastern Wyoming College, she led NAIA Division I schools in playmaking with 243 in 33 games, an average of 7.4 per game.
-- Turnovers once again played a role. Seattle Pacific had 19, leading to 28 Azusa points. The Cougars had 13, but that netted just seven points for the Falcons.
 
UP NEXT
Another night, another top-10 team awaits on Saturday when SPU take the court against No. 6 UC San Diego. The Tritons beat Western Washington in Friday's first game, 76-68.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
West Region Crossover Classic
Friday, Nov. 15, 2019
Felix Event Center / Azusa, Calif.
 
(No. 4) Azusa Pacific 76, Seattle Pacific 58
 
SEATTLE PACIFIC (0-3)
Burgess 3-9 1-2 7, Sterk 2-6 0-0 4, Bennett 2-9 1-2 6, Rexach Roure 1-6 2-4 5, Hingston 5-10 0-0 14, Alter 0-2 0-0 0, Berg 0-4 0-0 0, Brennan 2-6 0-0 5, Brundidge 8-10 1-2 17. Totals 23-62 5-10 58.
 
AZUSA PACIFIC (3-0)
Roufosse 3-6 0-0 6, Pranger 1-7 2-2 4, March 3-10 3-3 9, D. Hanson 5-9 7-7 17, Bozlee 1-7 2-2 5, Nieto 5-11 1-2 13, Uyehara 3-8 2-3 8, Whitmore 2-2 2-2 6, Lowden 3-5 0-0 6, Slaughter 0-0 0-0 0, Bell 0-0 2-2 2, Resendiz 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-66 21-23 76.
 
Seattle Pacific       5           14           20           19           -- 58
Azusa Pacific      12           22           28           14           -- 76
 
3-point goals – SPU 7-22 (Bennett 1-4, Rexach Roure 1-2, Hingston 4-9, Alter 0-1, Berg 0-2, Brennan 1-4), APU 3-16 (March 0-1, D. Hanson 0-2, Bozlee 1-5, Nieto 2-5, Uyehara 0-2, Resendiz 0-1). Fouled out – SPU: Alter. Rebounds – SPU 41 (Brundidge 10), APU 42 (Pranger 7, Lowden 7). Assists – SPU 18 (Rexach Roure 8), APU 10 (3 players with 2). Turnovers – SPU 19, APU 13. Total fouls – SPU 21, APU 13. Technical fouls – None. Attendance – 107.
 
 
Next game
Seattle Pacific vs. UC San Diego
Saturday, 6:00 p.m.
Felix Event Center / Azusa, Calf.