SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Azusa Pacific's four-peat hopes came to a close Saturday afternoon in the Conlan Center as they fell to Dominican, 62-56, in the PacWest Conference Tournament semifinals.

Kelly Heimburger and Amayah Kirkman paced the Cougars scoring 18 points each. Fellow All-PacWest teammate Audrey Sayoc scored eight points while dishing five assists.

Dominican rode their home court advantage right out of the gate, holding the #2 seed to only six points in the first 10 minutes of play.

The Penguins extended its lead out to 10 before a Heimburger three-pointer made it a 16-9 game. Both teams traded baskets over the next five minutes until APU's offense finally showed signs of life and went on 8-1 run courtesy of Heimburger, Kirkman, and Rachel Roderick to tie the game. With under two minutes to go in the second quarter they were not able to take their first lead of the ballgame, missing all three of their last shots to go into the break at a 22-22 deadlock.

Dominican once again brought the fight to them as the action resumed, scoring seven unanswered points before an APU rebuttal came in the form of a Lauren Jones three-pointer. However momentum quickly shifted back in favor of the host school as they held the Cougars to 11 points to keep them at a seven-point distance headed into the final frame .

The Cougars wouldn't go away without a fight though, with Kirman, Heimburger, Sayoc and Elyse Mitchell willing them to a game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to bring them within a single possession at one point. However the clock was too much of a factor, as crucial shots were not falling, forcing them to begin fouling the Penguins. Dominican iced the game at the free throw line and came away with a 62-56 win.

The Leaders
 
Azusa Pacific: Heimburger had team-highs in scoring and rebounding with 18 points and 9 boards. Sayoc dished out a game-high five assists.
 
Dominican: Taylor Linzie scored 17 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Alex Salise recorded four assists.

Inside the Box Score

• Heimburger (18) and Kirkman (18) finished in double-digits for APU.
• The Cougars went 6-of-25 from the three point line.
• Heimburger registered three blocks.
• APU pulled down 44 rebounds today, grabbing 16 offensive and 28 defensive boards.
• The Penguins outscored APU 16-10 in points off turnovers and 16-8 in bench points.