AZUSA, Calif. - No. 3 Azusa Pacific defended its home court on Monday night, defeating Point Loma by a 61-56 final score in a defensive, physical battle. The Cougars improve to 19-2 overall and 15-1 in PacWest play.
Laura Pranger led the Cougars on the defensive end, registering seven blocks. Pranger led a group of six Cougars that had at least one block in the game. Paige Uyehara tallied three steals. Offensively, four Cougars reached double figures, led by 14 points from Molly Whitmore. Joining Whitmore in double digits was Kayla Shaw (13), Alex Lowden (11), and Uyehara (10). On the glass, Whitmore hauled in 10 rebounds and Shaw grabbed nine.
How It Happened: Azusa Pacific led for the entirety of the first quarter, however, the lead grew no larger than six and it was 18-14 at the end of the first 10 minutes of action. With 5:45 on the clock in the second, the Cougars matched their largest lead of the game up to that point at 26-17. While Point Loma was able to draw within four at 26-22 (4:13), Azusa Pacific pushed it back up to nine at 31-22 with 1:32 to go before half. A Sealion three with nine seconds left was the only basket scored for the remainder of the first half, which sent the teams into the locker room at a score of 31-25 Cougars.
Point Loma held the Cougars scoreless for nearly five minutes to open the second half, which allowed the Sealions to knot the tally at 31-31 at the 5:32 mark. Point Loma would take its first lead of the game at 34-33 on a made triple by Allie Carreon, and would go up by four a few plays later when Haylee Suarette knocked down a three to make it 37-33. The Cougars would prevent the deficit from growing any further, eventually regaining the lead and taking a 43-41 advantage into the final quarter of play.
Turning Point: With the score locked at 46-46, Whitmore scored in the lane to give the Cougars the lead. While her basket put Azusa Pacific up for good, the lead was anything but comfortable for the remainder of the contest. With just under a minute to play, Point Loma's Cara Liggins converted from deep that cut the Cougars' lead from 55-50 to 55-53 with 56 seconds to go. In desperate need of a stop, the Sealions were able to force the Cougars down to a low shot clock situation. With about one second left on the shot timer, Shaw was able to step around a defender that had crowded her space, and with one foot on the three-point line, Shaw placed a shot perfectly off the glass that she banked in for the 57-53 lead with 24 seconds to go. While Point Loma would make it a three point game at 59-56 with 11 seconds left, Alex Lowden was able to shut the door with two made free throws.
By the Numbers: While Point Loma outshot the Cougars from a percentage standpoint (PLNU: 32% | APU: 30%), Azusa Pacific doubled the Sealions in free-throw attempts. At the charity stripe, the Cougars knocked down 10 of 12 attempts, compared to 2-for-6 for Point Loma. The Cougars also did a good job of taking care of the basketball, committing just 11 turnovers while forcing Point Loma into 18. On the glass, Azusa Pacific collected 15 offensive rebounds for 11 second chance points, and Point Loma gathered 16 offensive boards for just five second chance points. Neither team scored more than 20 points in a single quarter in the game, which marks the first time that has happened to the Cougars this season.
Up Next: The Cougars will play their final home game this Wednesday, when Concordia visits for Senior Night. In a postgame ceremony, four players will be honored for their final game in the Felix Event Center, as Laura Pranger, Kayla Shaw, Cate Walton and Kyra Zovak will be recognized. The game will tip-off at 5:15 pm.
