Box Score LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s women's basketball team was stung by some hot shooting by Azusa Pacific at the start of Tuesday's season opener, but the Golden Eagles were the ones firing on all cylinders by the end.
 
The Golden Eagles trailed by as many as eight points in the first half, but turned it around to lead by as many as 21 points in the second half of a 79-65 victory over the Cougars. Cal State L.A. had four players reach double figures in scoring and the Golden Eagles were unselfish on offense with 23 assists on 33 baskets.
 
The Golden Eagles also forced 24 turnovers while committing only 14. Azusa Pacific, which had a big rebounding edge early in the game, wound up with a narrow 39-38 margin when it was all over.
 
Cal State L.A. shot 47 percent for the game (33-of-70), while Azusa Pacific shot 35.7 percent (20-of-56). The Cougars, who are new to the Pacific West Conference and the NCAA Division II this season, were 9-of-22 from behind the 3-point arc and also 16-of-21 from the free-throw line. Cal State L.A. was 6-of-21 from behind the 3-point arc and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
 
Tessondra Williams had 18 points to lead the Golden Eagles, while Samantha Hansen had 12 points and four rebounds. Lacey Gibbons had 11 points, nine of them from three 3-pointers, and Paige Melville had 10 points and seven assists.
 
Kelly Hardeman had a game-high 20 points for Azusa Pacific, while Hannah Kenny had 17 points and eight rebounds.
 
Maryum Jenkins had a strong all-around game for the Golden Eagles and contributed six points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Richelle Najera had seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
 
Azusa Pacific came out on fire and opened up a 20-12 lead in the first eight minutes of the game and still led by six points, 24-18, before the Golden Eagles got untracked. Cal State L.A. went on a 10-0 run to finally erase the deficit and never trailed again. Alyssa Hanson started the run with a layup and back-to-back layups from Melville tied the game. A layup by Hansen with an assist from Hanson gave the Golden Eagles the lead and a layup by Gibbons made it 28-24. Azusa Pacific tied it at 30-30, but baskets by Bree Parsons and Williams gave the Golden Eagles a 34-30 lead late in the half. After Hardeman knocked down a 3-pointer for the Cougars, Kelli Lewis responded with a 3-pointer to give the Golden Eagles a 37-33 halftime lead.
 
Cal State L.A. opened the second half with a 16-3 run over a seven-minute span to take a 53-36 lead. A 3-pointer by Gibbons gave the Golden Eagles their first double-digit lead at 45-34 and, after a basket by Sullivan Ziegler made it 45-36, the Golden Eagles scored the next eight points on two straight baskets by Hansen and layups by Jenkins and Lewis.
 
A pair of free throws by Williams gave the Golden Eagles their biggest lead at 75-54, with 4:42 to go. Azusa Pacific scored nine straight points to slice the deficit to 12 points, but a layup by Melville bumped the lead back to 14 points, 77-63, with two minutes to go.
 
Cal State L.A. will begin California Collegiate Athletic Association play next Tuesday at Cal State Dominguez Hills.