POMONA, California - No. 12 Azusa Pacific secured a win in its first game of the Cal Poly Pomona Tournament, outscoring the tournament hosts 81-76.
Kelly Heimburger led the team with a game-high and season-high 22 points while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists, both also team-highs. She was helped by three more teammates to round out double-digit scoring including Amayah Kirkman with 16 points, Molly Whitmore with 15 points, and Paige Uyehara with 12 points.
How It Happened: The Cougars started the game with four triples in the first six scores to jump out to an early 16-8 lead within the first half of the first quarter. With less than three minutes left in the first, the Broncos scored a layup followed by two free throws to put them down by just three at 20-17. Sabrina Belquist answered with a pair of free throws of her own to extend the Cougars' lead to five as the quarter ended with more back-and-forth action.
Leading 24-20 to start the second quarter, Heimburger scored within the first six seconds before dishing out an assist to Belquist, then adding on another layup of her own to give the Cougars a quick 6-0 run within the first two minutes. However, the Broncos fired back-to-back triples to close that gap to four once more.
Down 32-28 with 4:37 left in the half, Cal Poly Pomona knocked down another key triple to bring the game with one point. From there, the game stayed close as Kirkman and Heimburger scored back-to-back layups to try and sneak away but the Broncos would knock down yet another three-pointer to bring it within two with 1:12 left in the second quarter. Both teams scored two free throws a piece to send the game into halftime 40-38, the Cougars leading.
The Broncos came out of halftime with a layup and one to take its first lead of the game, 41-40. The next three minutes remained scoreless between both teams except for three more free throws by the Broncos. With 6:51 on the clock, Whitmore knocked down a pair of free throws to send the Cougars on a five-point run to regain the lead.
That lead was short-lived as the Broncos came out of a timeout with another triple to put them up 47-45. The Cougars struggled to put a run together as they fell 55-47 with three minutes left in the third quarter.
Then something clicked as Heimburger and Uyehara pieced together back-to-back threes followed by a layup from Tylee Manuel to knot the game at 55 a piece. Both teams exchanged a free throw each before Whitmore closed the quarter out with a pair to allow the Cougars to regain a 58-56 lead.
Turning Point: In the final quarter of the game, the Cougars remained in sole possession of the lead which featured Kirkman's fourth triple of the game in the final minute to give the Cougars a ten-point advantage. The Broncos nearly came back scoring seven points after Kirkman's triple but the Cougars knocked down two free throws to secure the 81-76 win.
By the Numbers: Between the two teams there were 52 free throw shots as the Cougars were 15-for-25 from the line and the Broncos were 19-for-27 with ten of their shots coming in the fourth quarter alone. As a team, the Cougars also scored 36 points in the paint and a season-high eight three-pointers.
Up Next: The Cougars will return Saturday to face off against Cal State San Marcos at 5:00 pm for their second game in the Cal Poly Pomona tournament.
