by Joel Simeone
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – It wasn’t pretty at times, but Azusa Pacific came through down the stretch to beat Dominican 84-77 inside the Conlan Center. Audrey Sayoc and Amayah Kirkman combined for 47 points in the victory.
How It Happened: Early on it appeared as if the Cougars were going to have a relatively easy time of things, jumping out to a 27-9 lead over the opening nine minutes of the contest. Seven different Cougars scored during this opening run. Azusa Pacific hit five of its seven three-point attempts in the first quarter while holding the Penguins to just 3-17 from the field in the process. And two and a half minutes into the second, a Sayoc layup would give the visitors their largest lead of the contest at 34-13.
Incredibly, that lead would not even last until halftime as the Penguins roared back to life, storming back with a 28-4 run over the remainder of the half, making five three-point shots of their own while holding the Cougars to 2-13 from the field with six turnovers over that seven-minute span. The third quarter seemed comparatively normal, with Dominican holding a small lead throughout, and briefly extending that advantage to 11 late in the quarter at 62-51 before a late Cougar flurry brought them within six at the end of the third.
In the fourth, it was the Cougar backcourt that took over the game. Sayoc scored 11 of her game-high 24 points in the final quarter, including a layup that tied the game with 3:38 to play. Then after a steal, Kirkman got to the free throw line and made both attempts, giving her seven points in the fourth while giving Azusa Pacific its first lead of the second half. After Dominican retook the lead with a three, Sabrina Belquist answered with a triple of her own that would put the Cougars ahead for good.
By the Numbers: Sayoc finished with 24 points, 5 assists and 3 steals. Kirkman scored 23 while grabbing 7 rebounds. Kelly Heimburger chipped in 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks, helping the Cougars narrowly outscore the Penguins in the paint, 40-32. The Cougars shot 56.6% from the field in the second half while holding the Penguins to 35.9% over that same span. Azusa Pacific has now won five in a row against Dominican and holds a 24-2 advantage all-time. The Cougars have also won 29 consecutive games against PacWest opposition dating back to the 2022-23 season.
