HAYWARD, Calif. – Cal State East Bay pushed the pace in Saturday’s semifinal and it paid off for the Pioneers, who held off several comeback pushes from Azusa Pacific, to win 82-74 to advance to the NCAA West Regional championship game.
 
Azusa Pacific twice came back from double-digit deficits to tie the game, but the Pioneers’ ability to turn steals and rebounds into fastbreak points proved pivotal in the end. Azusa Pacific finishes the season with a 25-4 record, while Cal State East Bay improves to 24-2 ahead of Monday’s Sweet 16 matchup with Western Washington.
 
Cal State East Bay rushed out to a 13-2 run, but the early deficit didn’t faze Azusa Pacific’s experienced lineup, which quickly erased that deficit and even led in the first quarter after Kelly Heimburger hit a 3-pointer. She went 3 for 3 in the quarter with a pair of treys after entering the game for Molly Whitmore who picked up two fouls in the first four minutes.
 
Azusa Pacific pushed its lead to as big as seven in the first half with another impressive performance by a reserve, this time TyLee Manuel, who scored eight points in the second quarter. There were several lead changes over the next 10 minutes, but the Cougars went three minutes without scoring, which helped start a 16-4 run for the Pioneers to earn a second double-digit lead.
 
The Cougars switched to a press defense, which paid immediate dividends as they went on a 12-2 run to again tie the game with four minutes left to play. Kayla Shaw scored seven of the points during that run, knocking down a 3-pointer and the and then back-to-back floaters. Cal State East Bay’s defense locked down from there and didn’t allow a single made field goal for the rest of the game.
 
The Pioneers’ small lineup had a balanced attack throughout the game and got to the free-throw line frequently, making 19 of 22 attempts. They also forced the Cougars into 19 turnovers and outscored the Cougars in points off turnovers, 29-9. That perhaps proved to be the biggest difference in the game as Azusa Pacific was often denied the chance to get its tough interior defense set up. When Azusa Pacific was able to get back on defense, Laura Pranger tallied five blocks and Whitmore added one more.
 
For the second game in a row, Paige Uyehara led the Cougars in scoring with 18 points, while Shaw added 15 more with eight rebounds. Alex Lowden had nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. Whitmore was only able to play 17 minutes because of foul trouble, but was dominant on the offensive end in her limited playing time, going 5 for 6 from the field.
 
For Azusa Pacific, this was the program’s fourth trip to the regional semifinals. This is also the fifth time since joining the PacWest that the Cougars have tallied 25 wins or more in a season and the fourth full season in a row in which Azusa Pacific has reached that milestone.
 
This was the final collegiate basketball game for both Pranger and Shaw, who had impressive careers with Azusa Pacific. Pranger finishes her career with 997 points, 573 rebounds and 351 blocks in three full seasons with the Cougars and one shortened season. She tallied at least 100 blocks all three years, reaching 101 blocks during the semifinal against Cal State East Bay. She is also a two-time PacWest Defender of the Year and the 2019 PacWest Newcomer of the Year.
 
Shaw also transferred to Azusa Pacific after playing for an NCAA Division I program. She averaged 17.2 points per game in her time with the Cougars and made 143 shots from beyond the arc, including 96 this season. That is the fifth-most in a single season in PacWest history and the second most by a Cougar behind only Rachel Bozlee’s total of 104 in 2018-19. Shaw was named the PacWest Championships MVP after she helped Azusa Pacific win both the regular season and tournament PacWest titles.