AZUSA, Calif. – No. 12 Azusa Pacific played its first PacWest conference game on Thursday evening, and the Cougars started fast and never looked back, cruising to an 81-39 win over visiting Holy Names.
Paige Uyehara turned in a double-double to help lead the way for the Cougars, scoring 11 points and dishing out a career-high 10 assists. Kyra Zovak also had a career-high for Azusa Pacific, scoring 10 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Laura Pranger returned to the court in the contest, and she made her presence known, tallying eight blocks and hauling in eight rebounds. Alex Lowden posted a game-high 10 rebounds, which is the fourth time in the Cougars' six games in which she has reached double-figures on the glass. 12 different players scored in the game for Azusa Pacific, led by 16 points from Kayla Shaw.
How it Happened: Through the first six minutes of the contest, the Cougars raced out to a 17-2 lead, behind 5-for-6 shooting from deep. During the stretch, Uyehara and Shaw each knocked down two triples, and Lowden had one. Over the final four minutes of the first quarter, Azusa Pacific added five more points while only allowing one more bucket to the Hawks, which closed the quarter out at 22-4.
The Cougars opened the second quarter with a 10-0 run through the first three minutes, taking a 32-4 lead at the 6:55 mark. Azusa Pacific would take its largest lead of the first half with a little over two minutes remaining, when it held a 40-9 advantage. At the break, the Cougars were up 42-12.
Azusa Pacific continued to create separation throughout the third quarter, out-scoring Holy Names by a 22-14 margin. On two occasions in the third, the Cougars were up by as many as 38 points, first at 62-24 with 1:05 left in the period, and then again at 64-26 with a little over 30 seconds to go in the third.
In the fourth quarter, the Cougars lead rose above 40, and the widest margin of the contest came at 78-31 with 3:46 remaining in the game.
Turning Point: The game was all said and done just a few minutes into the game, with the quick 17-2 Cougar lead turning out to be the point in which the game and the momentum was decided for the evening.
By the Numbers: The Cougars finished the game 32-for-75 (43%) from the floor, with their most efficient quarter coming in the second, when Azusa Pacific shot 8-for-16 from the floor. From beyond-the-arc, the Cougars ended the game at 31% (11-for-35), as they cooled off from deep after starting 6-for-11 in the first quarter. Azusa Pacific received 38 points from its bench, with seven different reserves converting on at least one field goal. The Cougars outrebounded the Hawks by a 54-32 margin, including 20-9 on the offensive glass. Of those 20 offensive rebounds for Azusa Pacific, the Cougars were able to score 20 second chance points.
Up Next: The conference schedule continues for the Cougars, with Fresno Pacific visiting the Felix Event Center on Saturday for a 2:15 pm contest. Azusa Pacific will enter the matchup on Saturday afternoon with a four-game winning streak against the Sunbirds. To watch the game for free, visit the following link: WATCH.
POSTGAME INTERVIEW - PAIGE UYEHARA & KYRA ZOVAK
