MEAGAN CLEMENTS | staff writer

Sneakers chased like streaks of lightning on the Felix Event Center floor on Feb. 14, leading the Cougars to snatch a 79-55 dominant victory over the Hawks of San Diego Christian.

The piercing pitch of the squeaky leather ball against the lacquered hardwood echoed.

If anyone blinked, they may have missed junior forward Nikita Gordon’s rebound just 17:28 into the 1st period of the game, but when sophomore center Kristie Hala’ufia nailed a free throw shot with only 4:08 left, all eyes were on the vibrating hoop.

The blur of red, white and blue uniforms swept across center court.

With APU holding a seven-point lead into the second half of the game, San Diego Christian had their work cut out for them. The Cougars proved to be fast and furious and left the Hawks to pale in comparison.

Senior forward Abby Johnson who tallied 17 points, following in Hala’ufia’s footsteps, compounded the intensity on the court with two free throw shots early in the second half.

While Gordon sparkled seizing a total of 10 rebounds, a three-pointer by senior guard Sarah Leathers with only 4:36 left added a dramatic flair to the flames on the floor.

As seven out of the nine Cougars who played garnered at least one steal, APU was left with the bragging rights of a 7-0 run once in each half of the game.

With Johnson, Gordon and Hala’ufia leading the Cougars’ effort, the hard work and dedication of the NAIA’s No. 9 team paid off.

Head coach T.J. Hardeman was pleased that almost every player scored and was complimentary of the support teammates provided each other both on and off the court.

“They all work deeply hard in practice,” Hardeman said.

Despite Johnson’s self-critique in failing to rebound as well as usual, she was positive about the overall efforts of the team.

“We only had 11 turnovers which is good. We all shared the ball and we executed on offense,” Johnson said.

Several of Johnson’s goals for the final games in the conference schedule include bringing effort and teamwork, executing every play and not overlooking her opponents. Over the past two games, Johnson has earned 48 points and 18 rebounds, including a career high 29 points in the win against Concordia.

Leathers believes the secret in sports is “taking it one game at a time.” She felt it was the intensity and force displayed by her teammates and herself which earned them a sweet score.

“I think we came out intense. I think we were focusing on getting up on the point guard who gave us trouble last time,” Leathers said. “We focused on our offense [and] getting into our posts first.”

Still feeling the adrenaline rush from the action on the court, Leathers was confident that a continuation in the Cougars’ winning streak will lead APU to sweep Point Loma Nazarene and Vanguard off their feet.

While the Cougars’ future may not be predictable, Hardeman is optimistic in helping the team strive to do their best.

“We don’t have our future in our hands [so] all we can do is do our best. In this league there are enough people that beat other people that you just have to control what you can control,” Hardeman said.

And if he has one priority straight, it’s leading the Cougars to victory in the national championships.

“Our goal is to win the national championships. I think we have a team that has a chance for that,” Hardeman said. “We’re big. We’re going to defend and we’re going to wear our teams down.”

As San Diego Christian drops to a 9-15 overall record, the Cougars advance to a 20-5 overall record. APU will pursue their fifth straight NAIA tournament berth.
The Cougars are preparing to face five-time defending GSAC champion Vanguard tomorrow night in Costa Mesa.

This game is the last opportunity for the Cougars to have a chance at winning the GSAC championship.