SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Azusa Pacific (1-1) earned its first victory of the new campaign on Saturday afternoon, beating Cal State San Bernardino on the road by a 69-59 final score.

Molly Whitmore helped lead the way with a 16 point, 10 rebound double-double, while TyLee Manuel scored a career-high 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and four steals. Joining Whitmore and Manuel in double figure scoring was Paige Uyehara, who finished with 12 points and dished out a game-high seven assists. 

How It Happened: Manuel scored the first bucket of the game to put Azusa Pacific up 2-0, and the Cougars would hold the lead for the entirety of the contest. With two minutes to go in the opening quarter, it was a one possession game at 18-15, but the Cougars used an 8-0 run over the remainder of the quarter to take a double-digit lead into the second quarter at 26-15. The first quarter proved to be Azusa Pacific's most efficient quarter of the game, with the Cougars shooting 69% from the floor (9-for-13), including 3-for-4 from deep, to put up 26 points in the first 10 minutes of action.

The Cougars would grow their lead to open the second quarter, holding the Coyotes to just two points through the first five and a half minutes of the period, and Azusa Pacific took its largest lead of the game up to that point at 34-17 (4:30). While the Cougars went cold offensively and did not score for the remainder of the second, Azusa Pacific maintained its defensive energy and effort, and it allowed the visitors to take a 34-22 advantage into the break. The Cougars finished the quarter shooting just 15% overall (3-for-19), and they would not shoot below 40% over the next two quarters of action.

While the Coyotes would cut the deficit down to 10 at 36-26 with 7:28 on the clock in the third, Azusa Pacific's lead would remain in double digits until there was 3:48 left to go in the game, when Cal State San Bernardino drew with nine at 63-54. While the Coyotes drew within two possessions at 65-59 with 30 seconds to go, Whitmore and Uyehara would put the game away for the Cougars, with each player knocking down a pair of free throws to close things out. 

By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific finished 27-for-67 overall (40%) from the floor, while Cal State San Bernardino was a few percentage points off of the Cougars, finishing at 37% (22-for-59) shooting. While the Coyotes took four more free throws than Azusa Pacific, the hosts went 9-for-19, compared to an 11-for-15 performance for the Cougars. Azusa Pacific posted the advantage on the glass, out rebounding the Coyotes 43-39, including 14-12 in offensive rebound. The Cougars attacked the paint all game, finishing with 40 points in the paint in the game. In transition, Azusa Pacific more than doubled-up Cal State San Bernardino in fast break points at 18-6.

Up Next: After playing a pair of CCAA opponents this weekend, the Cougars will take on another CCAA team, with a tough road game at Cal State Los Angeles up next on the schedule. The Cougars will take on the Golden Eagles this Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 5:00 pm. Cal State Los Angeles is 2-0 on the young season, and the Golden Eagles also knocked off Division I Pepperdine in an exhibition contest by a 90-74 score.