SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- No. 5 Azusa Pacific suffered its first loss of the season on Friday afternoon, falling by a 73-57 final to Western Washington. The Cougars are 3-1 to open the season.
Paige Uyehara was Azusa Pacific's leading scorer, finishing with 13 points. Kayla Shaw also reached double figures, scoring 10 points. Kelly Heimburger and TyLee Manuel shared a team-high seven rebounds, and Heimburger also tallied four blocks. Uyehara and Alex Lowden each collected three steals.
How it Happened: Through the first quarter of play, the two teams matched one another point-for-point to enter the second tied up at 14-14. In the first 10 minutes of action, the Cougars were able to find plenty of opportunities from deep, however, they went just 1-for-9 to open. Of their six made field goals in the first quarter, five were scored inside the paint. Defensively, Azusa Pacific held the Vikings to 5-for-15 shooting, forced five turnovers, and blocked three shots.
Over the first seven minutes of play in the second quarter, there were four lead changes and two ties, with neither team taking a lead larger than one possession. The Vikings would start to seize some momentum with a little over three minutes left before halftime, as Western Washington closed out the half on an 8-2 run to take a 30-24 advantage into the break. Overall, the Vikings outscored the Cougars by a 16-10 margin in the second.
Turning Point: Momentum remained with the Vikings in the third quarter, as their lead would not shrink to less than seven. With 7:26 remaining in the third, a Viking basket made it 35-26, which would start a 17-4 run over the next four minutes that would put Western Washington up by a commanding 52-30 score. The four minute stretch put the game out of reach for the Cougars, as the margin remained double digits for the rest of the contest. Azusa Pacific was able to cut the deficit down to 11 at 58-47 with 5:12 left in the game, but the Vikings would hold off any hopes of a comeback for the Cougars by pushing the lead back up to 19 points (67-48) over the next three minutes.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific found itself on the wrong side of two significant stats, as the Cougars struggled from beyond-the-arc and could not keep the Vikings off of the offensive glass. Azusa Pacific finished 3-for-19 (16%) from deep, while Western Washington went 7-for-16 (44%). The Vikings hauled in 19 offensive rebounds, scoring 14 second chance points.
Up Next: The Cougars will be right back in action tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon, when they meet Seattle Pacific in their second and final game at the Cougar Hoops Classic at Cal State San Marcos. Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm, and the game can be seen here.
