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Azusa Pacific University Athletics

The Online Home of the Azusa Pacific Cougars
kellykyra
Ken Williams
94
Winner Azusa Pacific APU 3-3,3-3 PacWest
84
Point Loma PL 5-2,4-2 PacWest
Winner
Azusa Pacific APU
3-3,3-3 PacWest
94
Final
84
Point Loma PL
5-2,4-2 PacWest
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Azusa Pacific APU 27 18 27 22 94
Point Loma PL 17 17 19 31 84

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Today's a New Day

Azusa Pacific snapped a three-game losing streak with a 94-84 win at Point Loma on Saturday.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - After Point Loma escaped with a win in Azusa yesterday, the Cougars responded on Saturday afternoon with a 94-84 road victory. Six Cougars reached double figures in scoring, led by a career-high 30 points from Kayla Shaw on 12-for-18 shooting, including 6-for-12 from deep. Alex Lowden impacted the game in nearly every aspect, scoring 11 points and adding eight assists, six steals and six rebounds. Kelly Heimburger recorded her third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Paige Uyehara finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Molly Whitmore scored 11 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Jane Ersepke chipped in 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting. 
 
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific raced out to an early lead in the first quarter, as the Cougars were up 18-8 heading into the first media timeout at the 4:09 mark. Shaw led the way offensively during the first six minutes of action, knocking down three of her attempts from beyond-the-arc. The Sea Lions would cut their deficit down to 18-12 with a little under three minutes to go in the opening period, but Azusa Pacific would continue to score at an efficient clip and end the quarter up 27-17. The Cougars would extend the lead to 33-17 to begin the second quarter by holding the Sea Lions scoreless through the first five minutes. Point Loma was able to cut into the lead and draw within seven at 41-34 with 1:51 on the clock before half, but the Cougar defense locked in and did not allow a basket for the remainder of the quarter, which allowed Azusa Pacific to take a 45-34 lead into intermission. Point Loma scored on its opening possession of the third quarter to once again pull within single digits at 45-36, but the Cougars would quickly respond with a Whitmore layup on the ensuing possession to make it 47-36. The Sea Lions would not get within single digits over the remainder of the third quarter, and the Cougars steadily grew their lead to an eventual 19-point advantage, 72-53, entering the fourth. Azusa Pacific's largest lead of the game came with 7:55 left in the game, when the Cougars were up 79-59, however, Point Loma would continue to battle. The Sea Lions drew as close as seven in the final minute, and forced the visitors to knock down clutch free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory and hold off a Sea Lion comeback.
 
Turning Point: A huge part of the game turned out to be the end of the third quarter, a stretch in which the Cougars were able to build enough of a cushion that ultimately held off the late surge by Point Loma. With 2:48 remaining in the third, a three-pointer by Madison Williams of PLNU made the score 62-51, which was the Cougars' smallest lead since the early stages of the third quarter. The shot gave the Sea Lions a chance to grab some momentum, but once again, Shaw threw a counter-punch and hit a three-pointer on the ensuing possession to put Azusa Pacific back up by 14. The basket was the beginning of a 10-2 run for the Cougars that closed out the third and gave Azusa Pacific a 72-53 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
 
By the Numbers: In Friday's game, Point Loma was 22-for-26 from the charity stripe while the Cougars had just 11 attempts and only made five. Saturday was an entirely different story for the Cougars at the free throw line, where Azusa Pacific knocked down 22 of 26 opportunities, and the Sea Lions had just 16 attempts, converting 12. The Cougars also did a great job inside on both ends of the floor, posting advantages of 42-28 on points in the paint, and 45-36 in rebounding. 

Up Next: The Cougars (3-3) will be on the road this Tuesday, February 9, as they travel to Fresno Pacific (2-2) for a 2:00 pm tip. While both teams are members of the PacWest conference, the contest will be classified as 'non-conference' due to the unique pod schedule that has been implemented this season. Fresno Pacific is playing in the Nor Cal pod.
 
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