AZUSA, Calif. – The Cougars used a dominant fourth-quarter run to pull away from Westminster College, prevailing by an 82-73 final score Saturday afternoon inside the Felix Event Center. Paige Uyehara led all scorers in the contest with 24 points and 6 assists, while Kelly Heimburger (17 points) and TyLee Manuel (15 points) joined her in double figures.
How It Happened: Both teams opened up shooting the lights out, as the Cougars hit seven of their first nine shots from the field, while the Griffins shot 53% in the first quarter themselves. The lead bounced back and forth multiple times in the opening frame, with the Cougars taking the advantage late in the period on a Lauren Jones three-ball, 23-21. The Cougars never trailed in the second, as the bench scored 10 points to keep the offense firing, but Westminster forced their way to the offensive glass and got a late three of their own to tie the score at halftime, 45-45.
The Cougars appeared to take control of the game with a 10-0 run to open the third quarter, keyed by a pair of Uyehara triples. However, Westminster showed the same resolve that nearly overcame a 22-point deficit in their game on the same floor Friday, putting together a 21-8 run that bled over into the fourth quarter and gave the Griffins a 66-63 advantage with 8:30 to play, forcing a Cougar timeout.
Turning Point: Coming out of that timeout, Molly Whitmore got to an offensive rebound and drew a foul while hitting a bank shot. It was the first free throw the Cougars shot the entire game. That three-point play started an 18-4 run that spanned eight minutes to put the game away. Manuel scored 7 of her 15 points during this run, while the defense forced four turnovers and held the Griffins to 2-9 from the field.
By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific ended up shooting 50% from the field for the game, making 33 field goals in all. The Cougars dominated inside, scoring 46 points in the paint to the Griffins' 26, and outrebounding Westminster 38-28. Manuel and Amayah Kirkman each had nine rebounds in the contest. The Cougars converted 14 offensive boards into 17 second-chance points, and scored 21 points off of 13 turnovers. Jones came in off the bench and hit three shots from beyond the arc in the first half, and the Cougars knocked down 9 threes for the game. Heimburger grabbed seven rebounds and a team-high three steals, while Alex Lowden had eight rebounds and five assists. This was the first meeting between the two schools since the Cougars defeated the Griffins 53-48 in the 2021 West Region championship.
Up Next: The Cougars (5-2) will open conference play on Thursday night when they pay a visit to Holy Names. First tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and the game can be livestreamed HERE.
