by AZUSA, Calif. – To say No. 24 Azusa Pacific had a comeback victory over Cal Poly Humboldt on Friday evening at the Thanksgiving Classic would be an understatement. The Cougars found themselves in a 23-point hole at 44-21 with under three minutes to play in the second quarter, but when the final buzzer rang, the scoreboard announced the Cougars as 87-64 victors, capping off a 46 point swing over the final 23 minutes of play.
Amayah Kirkman led the Cougar offense, scoring 18 of her career-high 27 points over the final two quarters of play. Kirkman, known for her ability to shoot from three, did most of her damage on the drive and from midrange, going 7-for-9 from the floor in the second half, with just two of those field goals coming from beyond-the-arc. Kirkman also had seven rebounds. Sabrina Belquist finished with 17 points, knocking down four of seven attempts from three. TyLee Manuel had a near double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Paige Uyehara was the fourth Cougar to finish in double figures, scoring 11 points and dishing out seven steals, despite playing just 20 minutes due to foul trouble. Kelly Heimburger made an impact in a variety of ways throughout the contest, hauling in a game-high nine rebounds, adding eight points, and recording three steals and two blocks.
