COSTA MESA, Calif. - Vanguard University (12-1, 3-1 GSAC), the NAIA's number one- ranked team in the Jan. 15 National Top 25 Coaches' Poll, scored the last 23 points of the first half and led 57-20 at intermission and tallied the first nine points of the second half on its way to a 114-54 Golden State Athletics Conference women's basketball victory over Arizona Christian University (4-12, 0-4 GSAC), Saturday, Jan. 19, in The Pit in Costa Mesa, California. 

Coached by Jerry Conner, ACU hosts its next GSAC game at its own Fultz Memorial Gym, Tuesday, January 22, against San Diego Christian College (10-10, 2-2 GSAC) at 5:30 p.m. San Diego Christian defeated Concordia University (4-12, 2-2 GSAC), 71-58, Saturday at Concordia in its most recent game. ACU men's basketball team also hosts San Diego Christian College in the second game of Tuesday's GSAC doubleheader at 7:30 p.m., in Fultz Gymnasium. 

In other GSAC women's basketball action Saturday, the NAIA's number 8 team, The Master's College (17-0, 4-0 GSAC) remained tied for first place with Westmont College in the GSAC by defeating Biola University (9-10, 0-4 GSAC), 59-53, at Biola, and number 11-ranked Westmont (13-3, 4-0 GSAC) crushed Hope International University (9-10, 1-3 GSAC), 69-49, in Santa Barbara, Calif. 

Vanguard scored seven consecutive points midway through the first half and took a 27-12 lead with 10:22 left, as ACU went scoreless for 3:47, and tallied the final 23 points of the first half as ACU went scoreless for the last 7:37 of the half and led 57-20 at halftime. The Lions out- rebounded ACU, 32-12, with 14 offensive rebounds. scored 24 gift points after 19 first-half turnovers by ACU, made 23 of 48 field goals (479) and four three-pointers, and committed just five turnovers. ACU made 9 of 27 field goals (.333) and two three-pointers. 

Vanguard forward Esther Timmermans hit 8 of her 13 shots and totaled 16 points, and guards Chelsea Alfafara and Alison Drennan added 13 points and 3 three-pointers and 10 points 

respectively in the first 20 minutes. Senior guard Paula Clendaniel (Tucson, Ariz./Cienega H.S./York College (Neb.) led ACU with five first-half points and one three-pointer. 

The top-ranked Lions also scored the first nine points of the second half and led 66-20 at the 17:52 mark. Freshman guard Kiara White (Phoenix, Ariz./Washington H.S.) finally broke ACU's scoring drought with a lay-up at 17:37, ending a 10-minute scoreless run. Timmermans scored 10 points and Alfafara added seven for Vanguard during a five-minute stretch, and the Lions led by 60 points three times during the run, including 93-33, with 10:17 left to play, and reached the 100-point plateau at 5:20, 101-45. Vanguard later led by 62 points twice in the final 2:31 of the contest, its biggest leads of the game. 

Five Vanguard players scored in double figures, and Timmerman finished with a double-double of 32 points and 10 rebounds, hit 16 of her 24 shots, mostly from inside, and had four steals. Alfafara finished with 31 points on 12 of 18 shots, 7 three-pointers in 11 attempts, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals, and guard Nicole Ballestero added 12 points, four rebounds, 15 assists, one blocked shot, and four steals. Drennan scored 13 points and hit one three-pointer, gathered eight rebounds, and passed seven assists, and forward Samantha Doucette had 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists and four steals. Reserve guard Leigha Bednar contributed six points, eight rebounds and three steals, and reserve guard Lauren Martin added eight points, four rebounds and one steal. 

Junior guard Jubilee Sutherland (Glennallen, Alaska/Glennallen H.S./Eastern Wyoming College) led ACU with 15 points, 12 in the second half, 3 three-pointers, two in the second half, two rebounds and two assists, and White finished with 10 points, six in the second half, four rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore forward Sarah Beth Hock (Gilbert, Ariz./Perry H.S.), ACU's leading scorer and rebounder (13.4 ppg and 8.3 rpg going into the game) contributed nine points, four rebounds and two assists, and forward Aria Ham scored 8 points. Sophomore forward Jamie Heath (Phoenix, Ariz./Thunderbird H.S.) made one three-pointer and grabbed five rebounds and had one steal.