COSTA MESA, Calif. – The OUAZ women's basketball team returned to play in the Golden State Athletic Conference on Thursday night and suffered an 84-48 loss at No. 5 Vanguard in the first of four straight road games.
 
OUAZ (6-5, 0-4 GSAC) never led in the game as Vanguard (12-2, 4-0) scored the game's first 12 points during a 27-9 first quarter. The Spirit would get as close as 17 in the second quarter before the home team pulled away.
 
It was a tough shooting night for the Spirit as they ended the game at 34.0 percent from the field while going 4 of 19 from beyond the arc. OUAZ also committed 22 turnovers that resulted in 31 points for the Lions.
 
Alexis Smith led the Spirit with 19 points on 6 of 13 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. Smith added four assists – no turnovers – and three rebounds in defeat. Bailey Osmer added 14 points and four rebounds.
 
Vanguard had a 55-23 edge in rebounds while scoring 24 points from 23 offensive rebounds. Vanessa Murphy led the Lions with 21 points with three others in double figures.
 
OUAZ now heads south to El Cajon, California where the Spirit will face San Diego Christian on Saturday at 2 p.m. MST.