by Krissy Hetherington
AZUSA, Calif. – In the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II West Regional, No. 1 Azusa Pacific earned a 66-60 win over No. 8 Cal State Los Angeles. Keeping its 25-game winning streak alive, the team also improves to a 29-3 overall record.
It was Amayah Kirkman’s 22-point game, which featured four critical triples and six rebounds, that helped propel the Cougars over the Golden Eagles. Joining her in double-digit scoring were Paige Uyehara with 13 points and four assists and Kelly Heimburger who had 11 points and six rebounds. Molly Whitmore also contributed a team-high seven rebounds.
How It Happened: Cal State LA opened the game with a 5-2 lead over the Cougars before Heimburger knocked down a triple to tie it with 6:58 to go.
A few minutes later, Azusa Pacific went on a six-point run to make the score 13-6 with 2:06 left in the quarter. Although the Golden Eagles hit a triple to bring the game back within four, both Kirkman and Uyehara found buckets in the last minute to end the period with a 17-9 lead.
The Cougars continued their hot streak as Whitmore scored a put-back layup to extend their lead to double digits. A few minutes later, Azusa Pacific went on another six-point run to improve their lead to 25-11 with 7:25 left in the half.
In an attempt to chip at their 14-point deficit, the Golden Eagles went on a 12-3 run to bring the game within five. Uyehara knocked down a jump shot with 3:22 left in the period to give the Cougars a 30-23 lead but the Eagles responded with a layup to keep it close.
With 1:50 to go, both teams exchanged buckets to make the score 32-28. The Cougars finished the rest of quarter with three free throws between Uyehara and Sabrina Belquist but Cal State LA was able to string together seven points of their own to tie the game at 35-35 heading into the second half.
The Golden Eagles made a free throw to start the second half and take their first lead since halfway through the first quarter. Both teams exchanged buckets then Kirkman knocked down back-to-back triples followed by a jumper from Uyehara to give the Cougars a 45-38 lead with 6:09 to go.
For the rest of the quarter, the Golden Eagles kept the game within single digits before ending the quarter with a five-point run. However, Uyehara knocked down a fast break jumper in the final seconds to send the Cougars into the fourth quarter with a 51-47 lead.
The game remained a battle as the Golden Eagles opened the last ten minutes of play with a triple to bring the game within one. The Cougars responded with seven-point scoring run over the next four minutes to provide them with a 59-50 lead with less than five minutes to go.
Cal State LA bounced back with their own six-point scoring run, however, Kirkman shut it down with a critical three-pointer to put the Cougars up 62-56.
Now with 2:14 left on the clock, the Golden Eagles tried to keep their season alive by scoring a layup and two free throws to bring it back within two points.
In the final minute of the game, Heimburger stepped up with a critical block to deny Cal State LA the chance to tie the game. To close out the game, Manuel made a layup and Uyehara and Whitmore hit a free throw each to secure the 66-60 win
