AZUSA, Calif. - No. 24 Azusa Pacific was beaten by Cal State Los Angeles on Tuesday night in the Felix Event Center, falling by a final score of 79-75. The Cougars are now 4-3 overall.
Kelly Heimburger and
Paige Uyehara each finished with 21 points, with Uyehara adding seven assists and Heimburger collecting six rebounds.
Amayah Kirkman finished with 12 points, and she shared the team-high in rebounds with Sarina Belquist, with each player grabbing seven rebounds in the game. Five of Belquist's rebounds were on the offensive end, and she also had three steals in the game. Off the bench,
Sydney Hani recorded five blocks.
How It Happened: Over the 40 minutes of play, there were 13 lead changes and 10 ties, with neither team taking a lead larger than single digits. After the Golden Eagles held a 17-16 lead after the first quarter, the Cougars outscored Cal State Los Angeles by a 26-21 margin in the second quarter to take a 42-38 lead into the halftime break.
With six and a half minutes to play in the third, Cal State LA's Lily Buggs knocked down a jumper to tie the score at 46-46, and it was the start of a 9-0 run for the Golden Eagles that allowed them to take a 53-46 lead with just over four minutes to play in the quarter. The Cougars answered right back with an 8-0 run to regain the lead at 54-53. The run was started by a Heimburger three, and capped off by a Kirkman triple. Cal State LA entered the fourth up 59-56.
With three minutes to play, Heimburger knocked down a pair of free throws to knot the score at 71-71, and while there were two ties down the stretch, the Cougars were unable to regain the lead.
By the Numbers: Cal State LA finished 29-for-63 (46%) from the floor, and 7-for-13 from three (54%), while the Cougars shot 36% overall (25-for-70) and 11-for-32 from beyond-the-arc (34%). The Golden Eagles posted a 38-24 advantage on points in the paint, while the Cougars outscored Cal State LA by a 21-7 margin in second chance points. Azusa Pacific grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, while the Golden Eagles had 11.
Up Next: The Cougars will be back on the court Friday, when they host Cal Poly Humboldt at 4:00 pm in the Felix Event Center. There will not be a livestream for any of the four games of the Thanksgiving Classic.
