AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific fell by a 62-57 final to Concordia on Friday. Molly Whitmore had a huge game for the Cougars, pouring in 26 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Whitmore finished 11-for-18 from the floor. Paige Uyehara finished with 12 points and four steals, while Kelly Heimburger was the third Cougars in double figures with 10 points. Alex Lowden, the current PacWest leader in steals, had seven in the contest and now has 36 on the season.
How It Happened: The Cougars had a tough first quarter on the offensive end, scoring just nine points on 4-for-17 (24%) shooting, allowing Concordia to take the early 15-9 lead. Azusa Pacific was able to outscore the Eagles by a 15-11 margin in the second quarter to pull within one possession at the break, trailing 26-24. Concordia clung to a lead no greater than six through the first five minutes of the third quarter, and the Cougars were able to tie the game at 35-35, and then take their first lead since the first quarter on a pair of free throws from Whitmore to make it 36-35 with 4:17 remaining in the period. The Cougars took a lead as large as five over the remainder of the third, ultimately entering the fourth with a 42-39 advantage. While Concordia was able to tie the game on two occasions through the first four minutes of the final period, the Eagles were unable to grab the lead. That changed on a three-pointer by Katie Timmerman, who hit the shot to break a 48-48 tie and put Concordia up 51-48 with 4:43 remaining.
Turning Point: Concordia ultimately put the game out of reach with a late 6-0 run, as the Eagles turned a 53-52 advantage at the 3:42 mark into a 59-52 lead with one minute remaining in the game. While Azusa Pacific cut the deficit down to three at 60-57 with 20 seconds left, two clutch free throws by Timmerman sealed the deal for the visitors.
By the Numbers: The Cougars had a tough game shooting, hitting just one of their 15 attempts from three (6%), and finishing 20-for-63 (31%) overall. Concordia finished 22-for-51 (43%) from the floor and 6-for-13 (46%) from beyond-the-arc. Azusa Pacific was able to stay in the game due in large part to its ability to turn the Eagles over and capitalize off of those opportunities, finishing with 18 points off of turnovers. Concordia posted a 45-35 rebounding advantage, however, Azusa Pacific had more second chance points (15-6).
Up Next: The Cougars (7-4) will try to avoid a season-sweep by the Eagles tomorrow, who have won all three matchups to this point. The teams will square off in Irvine at 2:00 pm, and the game can be seen for free here.
