AZUSA, Calif. – It was a career night for Kelly Heimburger, as the senior forward poured in a career-high 39 points to help the Cougars beat Hawai'i Pacific 81-77 Monday evening inside the Felix Event Center to complete a season sweep of the Sharks.

How It Happened:  The Cougars led wire-to-wire, holding the Sharks scoreless on their first nine possessions and building an early 9-0 advantage.  Heimburger put an early stamp on the game with a pair of threes and 12 points in the opening quarter.  Those proved to be points the Cougars needed as a furious rally by Hawai'i Pacific would cut the lead back down to 20-17 after one.

Audrey Sayoc proved a successful wingman on this evening, scoring the first five points of the second quarter.  Sayoc and Heimburger combined for 13 points in a 15-3 run that gave the Cougars their largest lead of the night.  Again the Sharks made a run, and again Heimburger found answers, beating the buzzer on a baseline move to give the home team a 45-39 edge at intermission with her 24th point of the half.

The defenses picked up their efforts in the third, with the Cougars holding the Sharks to 6-18 from the field and forcing seven turnovers.  Heimburger came through with nine points in the quarter, allowing the Cougars to head into the fourth up by eight.  In the fourth, the cavalry arrived, as the non-Heimburger contingent of the Cougars produced 14 points of their own over the final 10 minutes to hold off a late Sharks rally.

By the Numbers:  Heimburger finished with 39 points, the most by a Cougar in the NCAA era (2012-present) and one shy of the fourth 40-point game in program history (last achieved by Monica Somers in 2007).  The senior also collected 11 rebounds and 4 blocks.  Joining her in double figures were Sayoc with 13 points, six rebounds, and six steals; and Sydney Hani, who scored 10.  The Cougars grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, which contributed to a 19-9 edge in second-chance points.  Azusa Pacific has won nine consecutive meetings with the Sharks, taking a 15-11 lead in the all-time series.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific (16-2, 10-1 PacWest) now embark on a three-game road trip, starting with a visit to Jessup on Saturday.  Tip-off in Rocklin is scheduled for noon.