SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Azusa Pacific scored on six consecutive possessions to open the third quarter, which allowed the No. 11 Cougars to pull away in the second half for a 85-55 win at Point Loma on Saturday evening. The Cougars outscored the Sea Lions by a 56-27 margin in the second half, led by 24 points from Kayla Shaw in the third and fourth quarter. With the victory, Azusa Pacific is 8-1 overall and 4-0 in PacWest play. 

Shaw finished with a career-high 31 points, highlighted by a 7-for-8 effort from beyond-the-arc. In addition to her scoring, she recorded six rebounds and four assists. Joining Shaw in double-figures was Laura Pranger, who had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Kelly Heimburger scored 10 points off of the bench. 

How it Happened: Point Loma opened the game by scoring on three of its first four possessions, which allowed the hosts to jump out to an early 6-2 lead. At the first media timeout, the Sea Lions held a 14-9 lead behind 55% shooting from the floor, while Azusa Pacific was at 29% on 4-for-14 shooting. The Cougars stepped it up on the defensive end over the final two minutes of the opening period, keeping the Sea Lions from scoring a field goal. At the end of the first, the score was 15-12 Point Loma.

On the first possession of the second, Kayla Shaw knocked down her first triple of the game to tie it at 15-15. The Sea Lions would take the lead right back on a three of their own on the ensuing possession, which made it 18-15. After Point Loma pushed its lead up to two possessions at 20-15, the Cougars were able to respond with five unanswered to knot it up at 20-20. Azusa Pacific took its first lead of the contest at the 4:15 mark before halftime, when Paige Uyehara stepped through the lane to scoop it up and in for a 25-23 lead. On Point Loma's next offensive possession, Kelly Heimburger blocked two consecutive shot attempts, with Alex Lowden collecting the second block and throwing it up ahead to Kayla Shaw for a fast break layup to put the Cougars up 27-23. Azusa Pacific maintained the lead for the remainder of the second quarter, entering the locker room up by a 29-28 score.

The Cougars opened up the third quarter by scoring on their first six possessions, giving them the game's biggest lead at 41-32. The first three baskets were scored by Laura Pranger, and the stretch was capped off by a bucket from Kayla Shaw that forced Point Loma to take a timeout. A few minutes later, Pranger scored her ninth point of the third quarter, as she knocked down a three-pointer that made it 44-33, which was the first double digit lead for either team in the contest. From the 6:00 mark in third until the 2:59 mark, the Cougars did not allow a point to the Sea Lions, which allowed Azusa Pacific to take a lead as large as 49-33. At the end of the third quarter, Shaw went on a personal 8-0 run, as she hit two consecutive threes and then got out ahead on the break for a layup, which put the Cougars up by a 57-39 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Shaw's burst at the end of the third quarter was just a hint of what was to come in the fourth quarter, as she poured in 14 points on a perfect 5-for-5 (4-for-4 from three) shooting in the final quarter. Behind Shaw's aerial attack from deep, Azusa Pacific continued to grow its lead in the fourth, stretching the advantage to as large as 33 points at 79-46 with 5:48 remaining. 

Turning Point: Holding just a one point advantage at the break, it was Azusa Pacific's perfect 6-for-6 start in the third that saw the game shift entirely into the Cougars' control. From that point on, Azusa Pacific's lead would remain in double-digits for the remainder of the game.

By the Numbers: The Cougars finished at 54% shooting overall (34-for-63), and 10-for-19 (53%) from three. Defensively, Azusa Pacific held Point Loma to just 34% from the floor in the game. Tonight's 30 point victory is the largest margin for either program in the series since 2005, when Point Loma was able to beat the Cougars by over 30 point. Azusa Pacific has now won its last four matchups against the Sea Lions.