HAYWARD, Calif. – Late-game heroics from Paige Uyehara in the fourth quarter and Molly Whitmore in the overtime period put Azusa Pacific over the top against Cal State San Marcos in the NCAA West Regional quarterfinals, winning 89-86 on Friday in Pioneer Gym, extending Azusa Pacific’s NCAA postseason winning streak to six games.
 
PacWest Championships MVP Kayla Shaw drew the attention of Cal State San Marcos’ defense all night, but Azusa Pacific proved that its lineup is loaded with different weapons. Uyehara scored a team-high 27 points on 4-for-4 shooting from deep, while Whitmore added 21 points to send Azusa Pacific (25-3) into the semifinals with the win over Cal State San Marcos (22-4).
 
The win was almost not to be as Azusa Pacific, despite leading by as much as 16 points earlier in the game, never led in the fourth quarter. Cal State San Marcos led by three points after making only 2 of 4 free throws in the final 30 seconds, and Azusa Pacific got the ball back with 13 seconds left. Shaw attempted a game-tying 3-pointer with four seconds left, but missed. Alex Lowden was in perfect position to grab the rebound and quickly found Uyehara wide open for a second attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer. Uyehara fumbled the pass at first, but recovered just in time to shoot and scored as time expired to send the game into overtime, 76-76.
 
In overtime, Whitmore pulled down a rebound with two and a half minutes left and the score tied. She then got into the paint and scored a lay-up to give Azusa pacific the lead. The No. 5 seed turned to Whitmore again on each of the next two possessions with Uyehara feeding the ball to her in the paint twice in a row for two more buckets and an 86-82 lead with 31 seconds left. In total, Whitmore went 5 for 5 from the field in the extra period.
 
Azusa Pacific forced a turnover on the defensive end of the floor and then only needed to make its free throws to secure the win. Uyehara went 3 for 4 from the charity stripe, and that proved to be enough for Azusa Pacific to hold on and win the quarterfinal battle.
 
Laura Pranger scored 16 points and blocked seven shots, while grabbing six rebounds as she played an important part in the Cougars taking a 16-point lead early in the second quarter. Azusa Pacific went on a 24-6 run that began and ended with Uyehara making her first two 3-pointers of the game, just seven minutes apart. Cal State San Marcos immediately answered with its own 8-0 run and got right back into the game in the third quarter.
 
Shaw finished the game with nine points, while Lowden added seven more along with five assists and a steal. Uyehara’s final stat line was 27 points, five assists and three steals. Azusa Pacific is playing in its fifth-consecutive NCAA West Regional, and the Cougars are undefeated at this stage since winning the tournament at UC San Diego in 2019.