AZUSA, Calif. – No. 18 Azusa Pacific was in control of the game from tip-off through the final buzzer, defeating the visiting Chaminade Silverswords by a 78-57 final. The Cougars have now won eight games in a row to improve to 18-3 overall, including a PacWest-leading 13-1 conference mark.

TyLee Manuel (20 points), Paige Uyehara (13 points) and Amayah Kirkman (12 points) scored in double-figures for the Cougars, while Molly Whitmore dished out a career-high seven assists. Kelly Heimburger finished with a near double-double, as the forward scored eight points and collected eight rebounds. Alex Lowden grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

How It Happened: The game was never in doubt for Azusa Pacific, which started the contest with an 8-0 run over the first three minutes of play. The Cougars first double-digit lead of the evening was a 12-2 tally with 4:46 on the first quarter clock, and the first 10 minutes of play came to a close with the Cougars up 23-10. In the first quarter, Azusa Pacific shot 11-for-19 from the floor, while it held the Silverswords to just four made field goals (4-for-18).

The Cougars opened the second quarter on an 11-0 run, scoring three of its four field goals from beyond-the-arc, which stretched the hosts' lead up to 34-10. Azusa Pacific's lead was no less than 22 points from that point on in the second, and the Cougars' largest first half advantage was 29 points, which came on a jumper from Kirkman that made it 47-18 with 22 seconds remaining before halftime. The Cougars shared the ball in the second quarter, converting on 10 field goals, seven of which were assisted.

In the third quarter, Azusa Pacific once again went on an unanswered run to keep increasing its lead, as the Cougars' lead surpassed the 30-point threshold on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a Uyehara layup that made it 56-22 nearly halfway through the period (5:30). Azusa Pacific's largest lead of the evening was a 36-point margin, which the Cougars achieved twice in the third quarter, as a Kayden Casey triple made it 59-23 (4:44), and about a minute later, Kirkman hit a jump shot to make it 61-25 (3:40). While Chaminade was able to cut the margin to under 30 in the quarter, it would be no closer than 61-44 (0:44), and the Cougars were able to push the advantage back up to 30 (64-34) at the end of the third.

While Chaminade outscored the Cougars by a 23-14 margin in the fourth quarter, the game was well out of reach, at the final score of 78-57 was the closest the Silverswords would draw over the final 10 minutes.

By the Numbers: Azusa Pacific committed just 10 turnovers in the game, which is the Cougars' second-fewest this season. Defensively, the Cougars forced Chaminade into 25 turnovers, which is the most an opponent has committed this season. On the glass, the Cougars grabbed 59 rebounds, which matches the team-high. With Monday's win, Azusa Pacific is now 16-0 all-time against Chaminade.

Up Next: The Cougars are back in the Felix Event Center this Thursday, February 2, when they host Academy of Art for a 5:15 pm tip-off. The Urban Knights will enter the game with a 5-14 overall record (5-9 PacWest).