AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific improved its record to 2-0 and defeated rival Biola for the second straight day, as the Cougars earned a 66-49 victory on Saturday afternoon. As was the case on Friday, Kayla Shaw was the Cougars' leading scorer, tallying 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting (4-for-9 from three) and adding three assists and two steals. Kelly Heimburger followed up her double-double collegiate debut with a 14-point, six rebound performance. Molly Whitmore was the third Cougar in double figures, pouring in 11 of her 13 points in the third quarter to help Azusa Pacific pull away after halftime. Whitmore also grabbed six rebounds. Alex Lowden led the Cougars in rebounds (8) and steals (4), while Paige Uyehara dished out a team-high five assists and did not commit a turnover over 26 minutes.
 
How it Happened: After the first quarter of play, the Cougars held a one-point lead at 15-14. Shaw scored eight of the Cougars' points through the first 10 minutes, including two three-pointers. In the second quarter, Azusa Pacific was able to extend its lead to as large as 11 at 32-21 with 2:05 remaining, but the Eagles held the Cougars scoreless over the final two minutes and trimmed the deficit down to 32-26 at the half. Though Biola scored the first basket after halftime to make it 32-28, it would be the closest the Eagles would get over the entirety of the second half.
 
Turning Point: The third quarter proved to be the pivotal point of the afternoon for both teams. At the 6:46 mark in the period, Biola trailed 40-32. 30 seconds later, Whitmore scored her fourth basket of the quarter and put the Cougars up by 10. From that point on, Azusa Pacific would maintain a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest, and the Cougars finished the third on a 10-2 run. The Cougars went 9-for-14 from the floor, and held the Eagles to just two made field goals in the quarter.
 
By the Numbers: After scoring just 10 points in the paint in the first half, Azusa Pacific turned its focus towards attacking the lane on offense. The aggression would work, with the Cougars scoring 22 points inside over the third and fourth quarter. Due much in part to the dominance in the paint by Azusa Pacific, the Cougars posted a significant advantage in field goal percentage at 47% (27-for-57), compared to 29% (19-for-66) for the Eagles. From beyond-the-arc, the Cougars went 9-for-22 (41%), and the Eagles finished 7-for-30 (23%).
 
Up Next: The Cougars will take on Concordia next week, with a trip to Irvine on Friday (Jan. 29), and then a rematch the following day in Azusa (Jan. 30). Both games will tip-off at 2:00 p.m. Concordia will enter the weekend with a 2-2 record, as the Eagles won their last contest against Point Loma by a 72-69 final.