AZUSA, Calif. – Keeping its winning streak alive, Azusa Pacific got its tenth victory in a row with a 67-50 win over the Biola Eagles in the Cornerstone Cup. The Cougars are now 8-0 in PacWest play and hold a 14-3 overall record.
After recently joining the 1,000-point club on Wednesday, Kelly Heimburger put up a game-high 21 points while also grabbing eight rebounds and getting five steals. Rounding out the double-digit scoring was Amayah Kirkman who had 17 points, 15 of those from three-pointers alone.
Molly Whitmore added eight points with five rebounds and a block while Sabrina Belquist also added seven rebounds and had a team-high six steals. Paige Uyehara also contributed with a game-high six assists against the Eagles.
How It Happened: Up 9-4 to start the game, Kirkman and Heimburger combined for three triples in a row to extend the Cougars' lead to 18-4 with 2:41 left in the first quarter. Then in the second quarter, the team put together another nine-point run to improve their score to 33-10 with 5:30 left in the half. The rest of the quarter went back and forth before resulting in a 37-15 score headed into halftime.
Although Biola knocked down a triple twenty seconds into the second half, the Cougars maintained their lead with back-to-back jumpers from Heimburger and Uyehara. The Eagles then went on a short-lived six-point run before Kirkman responded with her fourth score from beyond the rainbow to give Azusa Pacific a 20-point lead halfway through the quarter.
Biola got the final say in the third quarter with a triple that sparked another to start the fourth quarter then a fast-break jumper to bring the game within 14. But, Whitmore knocked down a free throw followed by another triple from Kirkman off the second shot's rebound to give the Cougars a 55-37 lead with 7:43 left in the game.
The Eagles were able to keep their point differential between 14 and 20 for the rest of the quarter but it was never enough as the Cougars rode off with the 67-50 win.
By The Numbers: The Cougars got a strong start by outscoring the Eagles 37-15 in the first half alone with at one point as large as a 23-point lead. They also forced 18 turnovers which converted to 28 points while the Eagles only had six points flipped from turnovers. Azusa Pacific forced a quick game getting 22 of its 67 points in fast-break play while the Eagles only had two fast-break points. The Cougars also outperformed the Eagles in the paint with 24 points to the Eagles' 14 and in rebounding with 45 to Biola's 36 boards.
Up Next: The Cougars will return to action next Thursday at 5:15 p.m. in the Felix Event Center. The team will host Fresno Pacific before taking off to Hawai'i for the remainder of the month.
