AZUSA, Calif. — It was an exciting matchup in the Felix Event Center Saturday afternoon as No. 12 ranked Azusa Pacific defeated the visiting Biola Eagles by a score of 86-72 to improve to 7-1 and 3-0 on the season in PacWest action. This is the Cougars 10th straight win against Biola, securing another Cornerstone Cup victory. 

Paige Uyehara was the leading scorer for the Cougars as she recorded a career-high 28 points (6-10 from 3-point range), with six rebounds, four assists and a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line. Kayla Shaw and Alex Lowden joined her in double figures with 20 and 13 points. Shaw posted five three-pointers, including five rebounds. Defensively, Lowden collected 9 rebounds, while Laura Pranger posted five blocks in the game. 

How it Happened: Trailing 16-12 in the first quarter, Azusa Pacific began to close the gap as Kelly Heimburger recorded a jumper and a layup in the paint to tie the game. Shaw then knocked down a three-pointer with one minute remaining in the first quarter to take a three-point advantage at 19-16. The Cougars finished off the quarter with a three-pointer by Heimburger with 3 seconds remaining to hold a lead of 24-18. 

Biola had control of the second quarter as they outshot the Cougars by 45% (8-18) compared to 33% (6-18) from the floor. The Eagles also collected four three-pointers while the Cougars recorded none for the entirety of the second quarter. Biola tied it at 36 a-piece, and with 2 seconds remaining, the Eagles took a 38-36 lead going into halftime via a jumper in the paint. 

Returning from the half, Biola extended their lead to 42-39, before a Lowden layup and a Pranger jumper put the Cougars back in the lead 43-42 with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. 

Turning Point: Facing a 46-45 deficit and 5:18 remaining in the third quarter, the Cougars would record a 15-0 run to put the game away. Uheyara collected a three-pointer with the help of Pranger to take a 48-46 lead. 30 seconds later, a fast break in the paint by Pranger allowed the Cougars to climb to a 50-46 lead, and a free throw and three-pointer by Shaw kept widening the gap to 54-46. The Cougars kept climbing as Uyehara and Shaw each tallied shots from beyond-the-arc to take a 14-point advantage.

With a 64-57 lead, Amayah Kirkman collected a jumper and a three-pointer to put the Cougars up double digits to start the fourth. Azusa Pacific carried the momentum through the rest of the way as Shaw collected her fifth three-pointer of the game to take a 78-66 advantage. With just two minutes remaining, Uyehara tallied her sixth three of the game, which set her career-high 28 points. The Cougars would win the game by a final score of 86-72. 

By the Numbers: The Cougars finished 33-for-68 (49%) from the floor and 14-for-28 (50%) from deep. The Cougars set a team-high in shots from beyond-the-arc this season with 14, and were able to outscore the Eagles from inside, with a points in the paint margin of 34-26. Overall, there were 12 lead changes and six ties over the 40 minutes. 

Up Next: No. 12 Azusa Pacific will travel to San Diego on December 18th for a Conference matchup against Point Loma before a two week break. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM.

POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Paige Uyehara & Kayla Shaw