CARSON, Calif. - No. 7-seed Azusa Pacific is on to the West Region semifinals, after the Cougars beat No. 2-seed Western Washington by a 71-53 score. It was the second time this season that the Cougars earned a win over the Vikings, as the two teams met on a neutral court in Seattle back in mid-November, where Azusa Pacific earned the 59-58 victory.
TyLee Manuel was too much for the Viking forwards to handle, as she poured in 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting, while also securing seven rebounds.
Paige Uyehara scored 16 points and dished out four assists over 39 minutes played, and
Alex Lowden was on the floor for the entire 40 minutes of play, going a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line for 14 points.
Kelly Heimburger was a force for the Cougars in all sorts of ways in the contest, scoring 10 points and registering seven rebounds, five steals and four blocks.
How It Happened: Over the first five and a half minutes of play, Azusa Pacific jumped out to a 14-5 advantage behind an efficient offensive attack while holding the Vikings to just one made field goal during that span. With just under two minutes to play in the first, the Cougars were up 21-10, but Western Washington was able to get within six points at 21-15 by the end of the first.
To open the second quarter, the Cougars outscored the Vikings by a 12-2 margin over the first three minutes of play to surge ahead 33-17. From that point on in the second quarter, Azusa Pacific's lead would remain at 12 or more, with its largest lead of the first half coming at 38-21 with 1:30 left before halftime. The Cougars would take a 38-25 lead into the break.
For most of the third quarter, Azusa Pacific kept the lead in double digits, and the Cougars' largest lead of the quarter was 14, which they held as late 49-35 with 3:23 left before the fourth. The Vikings were able to hold Azusa Pacific scoreless for the remainder of the third, and they trimmed the deficit down to single digits at 49-41 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
On the first possession of the fourth, Manuel earned a trip to the charity stripe by drawing a foul on the Vikings, and she calmly knocked down both to put Azusa Pacific back ahead by double figures (51-41). From that point on, the difference was never within single digits. With just over four minutes to play, the Cougars went on a 9-1 run to grow a 62-48 lead (4:14) into their largest lead of the game at 71-49 with 2:16 to play.
By The Numbers: One of the biggest differences in the game was in the turnover category, where Azusa Pacific forced the Vikings into 22 turnovers, which the Cougars turned into 22 points, while Azusa Pacific committed just 12 turnovers, which Western only scored seven points from. Azusa Pacific had the Viking defense playing on its heels all game long, as the Cougars were constantly on the attack and drawing fouls, which Azusa Pacific turned into a 27-for-31 performance at the free throw line. Prior to today's game, Azusa Pacific's season-high for free throw attempts was 22, and the season-high for makes was 17.
Up Next: The Cougars will now meet No. 3-seed Cal State San Marcos tomorrow at 5:00 pm in Carson. For those unable to attend in person, the game will be streamed live on the CCAA Network.
