AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific celebrated its fifth PacWest title in eight years with a hard-fought 73-63 victory over Hawai'i Pacific Monday evening inside the Felix Event Center. All five starters scored in double figures, including Alex Lowden, who was honored in a postgame ceremony following the final game of her career in the Felix Event Center.
How It Happened: The Cougars never trailed in the game, but it was close the whole way. The Cougars got their offense going in the first half by feeding junior forward Molly Whitmore, who made four of her first five shots to keep the Cougars holding a small advantage in the early minutes. The lead was just a single point at the end of the first quarter, but the Cougars would get themselves some breathing space with a 7-0 run to end the first half, punctuated by an Alex Lowden three, which put the home team up 36-27 at halftime.
That cushion would prove critical, as the Sharks made a pair of runs in the third, opening the quarter with a 9-2 blitz that got them within a basket. While Azusa Pacific would respond with an 11-1 run to push the lead to double figures for the first time, Hawai'i Pacific would put up eight straight points to again put the pressure on. Paige Uyehara would score a layup just before the end of the quarter to put the Cougars ahead, 51-45 going into the final quarter, and timely threes from Uyehara and Kelly Heimburger as well as six fourth-quarter points from TyLee Manuel kept the Sharks at bay throughout the final quarter, as the lead never dropped below six points the rest of the way.
By the Numbers: Whitmore led the way in scoring with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Manuel had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Uyehara had 14 points and 6 assists. Heimburger put up 13 points, 5 assists, and 5 blocks. And Lowden, playing before her hometown crowd for the final time, made three triples en route to 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Cougars forced 14 turnovers, which they converted into 21 points on the offensive end. Azusa Pacific had 22 assists on 26 made field goals. This is the seventh conference title for the Cougars since T.J. Hardeman became head coach in 2007. The Cougars also completed the season with a perfect 11-0 record at home.
Lowden's Final Game in Felix: Alex Lowden joined the Cougar program in the fall of 2018, and five seasons later, the Glendora native has never missed a game over her entire career. During that span, she was apart of 111 victories. She was the 2021 PacWest Defensive Player of the Year, a campaign during which she averaged a career-best 8.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. During her five seasons, the Cougars have won two Pacific West regular season championships, one PacWest Tournament title, and made two trips to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. She has scored 714 points, while also totaling 710 rebounds, 354 assists and 272 steals, with a career-high scoring effort of 21 points in a win over Hawai'i Hilo last season. Alex was a third-team all-PacWest selection last season, and the biology major has been named to the PacWest all-Academic team three times.
Up Next: For the third time in the last four seasons, Azusa Pacific (22-4, 17-2 PacWest) will conclude the regular season with a visit to Concordia on a Saturday. Game time at the CU Arena is scheduled for 12:00 noon, and the game can be livestreamed HERE.
