HILO, Hawaii – The Cougars started their annual Hawai'i road trip on the big island, pulling off a 69-54 win over Hawai'i-Hilo Thursday evening to run their winning streak to 13. Kayla Shaw led Azusa Pacific in scoring with 19 points, and was joined in double figures by Laura Pranger with 17, Paige Uyehara with 13 and Molly Whitmore, who had 10.
How It Happened: The Cougars got off to a slow start offensively, though they did hold the Vulcans off the scoreboard for the first four and a half minutes. But a quick 7-0 Hilo run put the Vulcans ahead, and despite seven points from Uyehara, the Cougars would only lead by a single point at the end of the opening quarter, 15-14. Azusa Pacific scored the final basket of the opening quarter, and built on that basket, eventually putting together a 12-4 run that gave them the lead for good. Shaw would score nine points in the quarter and the Cougars would push the lead to as much as ten, settling for a 35-28 advantage at halftime.
After scoring the first five points of the third quarter to take their largest lead at 40-28, the Cougars allowed another 7-0 run to let the Vulcans climb within five. The Cougars proceeded to hold Hilo scoreless for the rest of the third quarter, Pranger scored the final five points of the third, including a three from the top of the key just before the end of the quarter, stretching the lead back to double digits at 47-37.
Turning Point: With 6:30 left in the 4th quarter, Hilo had cut the lead to six. Uyehara banked in a three from the left wing. Two plays later, Uyehara stole the ball and found a cutting Shaw for a layup to put the lead back to double figures. Then with three minutes to play and the lead at 10, the Vulcans' leading scorer was called for both a personal foul and a technical, fouling out of the game and allowing Shaw to shoot four free throws. Shaw knocked down all four, pushing the Cougars' advantage to 14.
By the Numbers: The Cougars forced 18 Vulcan turnovers in the game, converting them into 23 points. Azusa Pacific also won the scoring battle in the paint, 36-24. Alex Lowden only scored four points, but led the team in rebounds with nine and assists with five. Pranger had five rebounds, four blocks, three assists, and two steals. The Cougars shot 50 percent from the field for the game while holding the Vulcans to 33.8%, which allowed the Cougars to overcome a slow start at the free throw line. Shaw made all six of her free throw attempts, where she is now 22-24 (91.6%) for the season.
Up Next: The Cougars (16-1, 12-0 PacWest) continue their island road trip by hopping over to Oahu, where they will take on Hawai'i Pacific on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Hawaiian Time (3:00 p.m. Pacific).
