LOS ANGELES – A return home did wonders for Cal State LA's women's basketball team and provided the first win for new Cal State LA head coach Cheryl Miller.
 
After playing its first two games in Alaska, the Golden Eagles returned to Los Angeles for its home opener and pulled out a thrilling 64-61 win over Azusa Pacific on Tuesday night. Cal State LA (1-2) trailed for most of the game, but outscored the Cougars (1-2), 21-12, in the final quarter to record the win.
 
A 3-pointer by Christine Delapina tied the game at 60-60 with 2:45 to go and a 3-pointer  by Da'Jah Jackson gave the Golden Eagles the lead for good with 2:01 remaining.
 
The Golden Eagles had trailed by as many as 11 points in the third quarter.
 
Jackson led the way for the Golden Eagles with 19 points, five assists and three steals, while Delapina had 13 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Samantha Lee had nine points on three successful 3-pointers.
 
Tara Casey had a game-high 19 points for Azusa Pacific, while Gabrielle Kaiser had 15 points and three rebounds.

Rikke Fabricius had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Rachael DiRegolo had seven points, two rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
 
Cal State LA shot 38.3 percent for the game (23-of-60), but was 50 percent from beyong the 3-point arc (10-of-20). Azusa Pacific shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) and made 9-of-20 from behind the arc.
 
Cal State LA had a 36-34 rebounding edge and committed 17 turnovers to 21 for the Cougars.
 
The Golden Eagles trailed 14-11 after the first quarter, but tied it at 14-14 early in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Madison Adams. The Cougars pulled out to a late 35-27 lead, but a basket right before halftime by Mackenzie Barnes made it 35-29 at halftime.
 
Azusa Pacific took its biggest lead of the game, 49-38, late in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer by Jackson and layup by Rikke Fabricius closed the gap to 49-43 after three quarters.
 
The Golden Eagles still trailed by four points, 58-54, after a 3-pointer by Casey Wortley, but a 3-pointer by Jackson made it 58-57. Casey hit a pair of free throws for the Cougars to extend the lead to 60-57, but Delapina hit the 3-pointer to tie it with 2:45 to go. A steal by Karina Moreno led to the 3-pointer by Jackson that put the Golden Eagles ahead for good. A late free throw by Delapina wrapped up the win.
 
Cal State LA will return to action on Friday with a road game at Concordia.