COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Azusa Pacific's season came to an end on Tuesday afternoon, as the No. 7 Cougars fell by a 88-76 final to No. 2 Lander in the national quarterfinals at the 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight. Four Cougars scored in double-figures, led by Kayla Shaw's 19 points. Laura Pranger finished with 16 points to go with four assists and three blocks, while Paige Uyehara had 12 points apiece. Alex Lowden grabbed nine rebounds, and also dished out eight assists and recorded four steals. For Lander, Zamiya Passmore poured in 38 points, while Makaila Cange had a massive game with 26 points and 18 rebounds.

How it Happened: The Cougars jumped out to an early 10-4 lead after the first four minutes of play, and held a lead as big as eight (18-10, 1:29) in the first quarter. The Bearcats would fight back to end the first quarter, using a 7-0 run over the final minute to make it 18-17 heading into the second. Lander scored first in the second to grab a 19-18 lead, but Azusa Pacific went on a mini 7-2 run to jump back up at 25-21 at the 7:52 mark. With 6:55 on the clock before halftime, Uyehara scored a fastbreak layup to make it 27-24 Cougars. That basket would be the last points for Azusa Pacific until Jane Ersepke scored with one second left in the first half. While the Cougars went silent on offense, the Bearcats were able to take a lead as large as nine over the remainder of the second quarter, and ultimately entered the break up 36-29.

Down nine at 42-33 with a little over eight minutes left in the third, the Cougars began to claw back into the contest. Over the next three minutes of play, Azusa Pacific went on a 11-2 run to draw even at 44-44 with 4:57 in the third. Following a missed shot by Lander, Heimburger scored on the other end to give the Cougars a 46-44 advantage, which was their first lead since the middle of the second quarter. 

Turning Point: Over the next few minutes, the two teams traded baskets, and the game was locked up at 49-49 with a little over three minutes to go in the third. It was at this point that momentum swung heavily towards Lander, as the Bearcats went on an 8-0 run to jump up 57-49 with 1:45 in the third remaining. From that point on, Azusa Pacific was unable to pull within one possession for the remainder of the game. In the fourth, the Cougars would cut the deficit to as low as four points at 67-63 with 6:44 left to play, but Lander kept them at bay and ultimately pulled away down the stretch, leading by more than six for the entirety of the final two minutes of action.

By the Numbers: Lander dominated the glass all game, with the Bearcats out-rebounding the Cougars by a 56-25 margin, including 28 offensive rebounds for 21 second-chance points. The Bearcats also got out in transition all game, scoring 31 fast break points, in comparison to 12 points for the Cougars. The Bearcats also posted a huge advantage at the charity stripe, making a total of 41 trips to the line and converting at a 66% clip (27-for-41), while the Cougars were 7-for-9. Azusa Pacific shot a slightly higher percentage from the floor at 45% (29-for-65), and also knocked down 11 of 28 attempts from deep (39%). Lander finished at 43% (29-for-67) overall, and just 3-for-17 (18%) from three.