by HONOLULU, Hawai’i – Azusa Pacific held host Hawai’i Pacific to single digit scoring in the first and fourth quarters on Tuesday night, which allowed the Cougars to beat Hawai’i Pacific by a 69-51 final score for their 12th-straight win. The Cougars are now 16-3 overall, and sit atop the PacWest with a 10-0 conference record.
All five starters for Azusa Pacific scored in double figures, led by 16 points from TyLee Manuel, who also added five rebounds and four steals. Amayah Kirkman tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, five steals and three assists. Molly Whitmore registered her second double-double this season, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kelly Heimburger added 10 points, seven rebounds, five blocks and three steals, and Paige Uyehara finished with 10 points, fours assists and three steals.
How It Happened: While the Cougars got off to a slow start offensively, scoring just 12 points in the first quarter, they suffocated the Sharks defensively, allowing just nine points on 4-for-12 shooting. Azusa Pacific also forced the home team into six turnovers through the first quarter of action.
In the second quarter, the Sharks started to find success by attacking the rim and drawing fouls from the Cougars, while also knocking down four of six attempts from beyond-the-arc. Hawai’i Pacific went 11-for-12 from the charity stripe, and the Sharks scored 23 points in the second, while the Cougars scored 17 points on 5-for-18 shooting overall. At the break, Azusa Pacific trailed 32-29.
Through the first five minutes of play in the third quarter, there were five lead changes, with neither team taking a lead bigger than two points. Trailing 39-38, Uyehara knocked down a triple to make it 41-39 at 5:03 on the clock, and the Cougars extended their lead to 45-39 as Whitmore knocked down four consecutive free throws. Uyehara’s three proved to give the visitors the lead for good.
Azusa Pacific closed the game out in the fourth quarter by out-scoring the Sharks by an 18-6 margin. The Cougar defense held Hawai’i Pacific to just 2-for-12 shooting overall, including 0-for-5 from three. The Cougars’ largest lead of the game came with just under 30 seconds to play, as Heimburger knocked down a jumper that made it 69-49.
