GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Azusa Pacific moved on in the NCAA West Regional tournament by defeating the fifth-seeded Hawai'i Pacific Sharks 72-59. Coming into the contest, the Sharks held a 38-game win streak that began early on in the 2019-2020 season. The Cougars ended that streak with an impressive all-around team performance on both sides of the floor. While the Cougars margin of victory was 13 points, the Sharks were within one point with 6:03 left to play. The Cougars were led by an excellent showing from Laura Pranger, who finished the night with 19 points and nine rebounds. Kayla Shaw and Paige Uyehara were also key contributors, as they each tallied 13 points. Alex Lowden nearly had a double-double, tallying eight points, 13 rebounds, and three steals for the Cougars.
How It Happend: The Cougars opened the game by scoring on their first four offensive possessions. Despite a quick start by the Cougars, they struggled from beyond the arc, where they went 0-for-6 in the quarter. The Sharks took advantage of the poor three-point shooting by the Cougars and finished the first quarter up by three. The second quarter, however, was all Azusa Pacific. The Cougars outscored Hawai'i Pacific 21-11 in the period, taking a 33-26 halftime lead. The Cougars came out of halftime on fire offensively, quickly scoring on their first three possessions without an answer from the Sharks. With 7:22 left in the third, the Cougars gained their biggest lead of night on a Pranger free throw, with which Azusa Pacific went up by 15. The score fluctuated the rest of the third quarter, yet the Cougars still maintained an 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter.
Turning Point: Despite the 15-point lead held by the Cougars in the third quarter, the Sharks stood their ground early on in the fourth. The Sharks' fourth-quarter run began with an Olivia West three-pointer. From there, Hawaii Pacific scored nine unanswered points to cut the Cougar lead down to just one, which made the score 59-58 with 6:03 left to play in the game. The Cougars did not fold, however, and went on a run of their own. The Sharks were held scoreless in the final 4:53 of the contest, while Azusa Pacific scored nine points over that stretch to hold off the Sharks' comeback run.
By the Numbers: When it was all said and done, the Sharks took 24 more shots from the field than the Cougars did. Shooting was the story in the Cougar victory, as they shot 48% compared to the Sharks' 30% from the field. Once the Cougars took the lead with 9:01 left in the second quarter, they held on to the lead for the remainder of the game. A large part of the Cougars ending the Sharks' historic winning streak came from their work on the glass. Azusa Pacific out-rebounded Hawaii Pacific 47-34, and outscored them in the paint 32-20.
Biting Back: The victory provided a measure of revenge for the Cougars, who had lost four consecutive matchups against the Sharks, including the past two Pacific West Conference tournament championship games.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific advances directly to the NCAA West Region Final as the No. 1 seed Colorado School of Mines was ruled out due to COVID-19 protocols. The regional final is set for Monday, March 15 at 6:00 pm MDT (5:00 pm PDT) in Grand Junction, Colorado. The game can be seen live here.
