LA MIRADA, Calif. – An uncharacteristically turnover-prone night came back to bite the Cougars against their arch-rivals, as Azusa Pacific fell to Biola 55-51 inside the Chase Gymnasium Saturday evening.  Kayla Shaw scored 18 points to lead the way for the Cougars, while Kelly Heimburger took advantage of a rare starting opportunity to put up 11 of her own.

How It Happened:  It was a defensive battle from start to finish, with neither team scoring more than 16 points in any quarter during the game.  The Cougars put up 16 in the first quarter, leaving them with a three point advantage.  In the second frame, Azusa slowly built their lead to its largest point of the evening at 27-17 late in the quarter.  But Biola answered with a run that cut the lead to just four at halftime, and continued into the third quarter, giving the Eagles their first lead of the contest at 30-29.

The teams would trade the lead multiple times during the remainder of the third quarter, with the Cougars regaining the advantage by the end of the quarter, taking a 43-41 lead into the fourth.  And when Kayla Shaw knocked down a three from the left corner two and a half minutes into the final quarter, the Cougars led 50-45.

Turning Point:  Shaw's three was the last field goal the Cougars would make in the game, as Biola's defense would hold Azusa Pacific to just three free throws the rest of the night, forcing eight turnovers along the way to a game-closing 10-3 run to claim the victory.  Biola took the lead with 2:31 remaining at 51-50, and while the Cougars had multiple chances to reclaim the advantage, they were unable to do so.

By the Numbers:  The Cougars committed a season-most 26 turnovers in the game and shot just 35% from the field.  This was enough for Biola despite the Cougars holding them to just 33% shooting themselves.  Laura Pranger had 10 rebounds and five blocks, adding to her PacWest & Azusa Pacific career record total of 327 with one game remaining in the regular season.  Five of the seven Cougars who played in the contest grabbed at least seven rebounds.