Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo. No. 13 SOU dominates WPC in battle for first place 12/31/2015 5:21:00 PM SOU Sports Information ASHLAND – A 48-point thrashing is probably not what most expected to come of a matchup between the only two women's basketball teams still undefeated in Cascade Collegiate Conference play, but it's not the first time Southern Oregon has turned heads during its perfect start. With a smothering defense at their disposal, the 13th-ranked Raiders took sole possession of first place with a stunning 86-38 defeat of Warner Pacific on Thursday night at Mountain Avenue Gym. They forced 29 turnovers – including 19 in the first half before holding the Knights to 1-of-18 shooting in the third quarter and opening up a 67-27 lead. SOU's program-best start is up to 13-0 overall and 6-0 in the CCC going into next Tuesday's contest at Oregon Tech. WPC fell to 10-2 and 5-1. The Knights' point total was the lowest for a Raider opponent in a conference game since SOU topped Eastern Oregon 65-33 during the 2000-01 season. Predictably, senior point guard Ashley Claussen was up for the big-game challenge with 21 points, six assists and three steals, and Autumn Durand kept up her solid play with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. But it was the defense – notably nine combined steals by sisters Tiani (five) and Toria Bradford (four) – that set the tone. The Raiders struggled shooting from long range (4-for-24) for the second straight night, but it didn't matter; the Knights shot just 24 percent (13-of-54) overall. Up 18-12 after the first stanza, the Raiders started the second on a 19-2 run that lasted six minutes by turning defense into offense. WPC committed six turnovers during that span. Spanning the end of the second quarter to the start of the fourth, the Knights converted a single field goal during one 15-minute stretch. Tiani Bradford also finished with eight points and seven rebounds, and Carly Meister had 10 points and six boards. The Raider bench contributed 33 points, led by nine from Sydney Mullings and a career-high eight from Erin Houston. The Raiders have won four of their six conference games by 45-plus points. Warner Pacific was led by Lindsay Loe's eight points and five rebounds. No one else scored more than six.