AZUSA, Calif. - No. 24 Azusa Pacific finished off a 2-0 weekend on Saturday, beating Western Oregon by a 77-68 score in the final game of the Thanksgiving Classic. The Cougars are now 6-3 on the season.

Kelly Heimburger poured in a career-high 25 points and dished out six assists, while TyLee Manuel finished with a double-double, scoring 17 points and tallying 14 rebounds, including six offensive, to lead the Cougars in the victory. Paige Uyehara finished with 11 points, while also registering six assists. Defensively, Sabrina Belquist had three steals and two blocked shots. 

How It Happened: There was little separating the two teams through the first and second quarters, with neither side taking a lead larger than two possessions over the first 20 minutes of action. At the halftime break, the Cougars held a 33-29 advantage. 

For the second consecutive game, the Cougars found their rhythm coming out of the intermission, opening the third quarter on a 13-2 run to grab a 46-31 lead with about four and a half minutes played. From that point on in the quarter, Azusa Pacific's lead would remain at 13 or more, and the Cougars extended their lead to 18 by the end of the period, entering the fourth up 58-40. Azusa Pacific out-scored the Wolves by a 25-11 margin in the third, as the Cougars shot 42% overall (8-for-19), while holding Western Oregon to 24% at 4-for-17. The Cougars also were able to dominate the quarter at the free throw line, where they knocked down eight of 11 attempts, while their defensive discipline limited the Wolves to just five attempts from the charity stripe (3-for-5). In the third, Heimburger scored 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting, and a 3-for-4 clip on free throws.

While the Wolves threatened to make it a game in the fourth, as they outpaced the Cougars by a 28-19 tally over the final 10 minutes, the hosts had built enough of a cushion to see the game out, and the lead remained at 10 or more until the final bucket of the game, which the Wolves scored to make it 77-68.

By the Numbers: The Cougars finished with their lowest turnover total of the season thus far, as they only had nine in the contest. Azusa Pacific finished 30-for-70 overall (43%), and the Cougars' 30 made field goals is their second most this season. 

POSTGAME INTERVIEW: TyLee Manuel & Kelly Heimburger


Up Next: After four consecutive weekends of two game tournaments, the Cougars will have a chance to catch their breath a bit. On Friday, December 1, the Cougars will host Life Pacific for an exhibition game at 5:00 pm, before they hit the road for the start of PacWest Conference play. Azusa Pacific's conference opener will be on Thursday, December 7 at Academy of Art.