HILO, Hawai`i—For the fourth time in five tries this month, the Vulcans found the Civic Auditorium to be home-sweet-home during a 73-57 women's basketball win over Notre Dame de Namur.

The Vulcans defeated the Argonauts to begin 2020 at 4-1, pulling away from NDNU late in the fourth quarter. Allie Navarette led the home team with 24 points and Kim Schmelz added 19.

With the win, the Vulcans improved to 4-5 in the Pacific West Conference and to 5-8 overall. The Argonauts are now 3-13 overall and 1-9 in conference play.

The Vulcans shot a scorching 55 percent from the field and converted 12-of-13 shots from the free throw line.

Cheyenne Jankulovski led the Argonauts with 13 points, and Rachel Pau`u had 12.

Nobody led by more than six points in the first half, and that 13-7 margin belonged to NDNU after taking a 7-0 run towards the end of the first quarter. The Vulcans answered with back-to-back baskets by Schmelz to draw to 17-14 at the end of the period.

Schmelz also had a pair of baskets at the end of the second quarter to give UHH a 32-30 lead at halftime. The senior guard had 13 points at intermission, missing only three shots from the field (6-for-9), helping her team to 50 percent marksmanship at the break.

UH Hilo led for only three and a half minutes in the first half, but still took a two-point margin into the locker room.

In the third quarter, the teams traded baskets and leads. There were six ties and 11 lead changes in the game. A Makayla Tablit three-pointer gave the Vulcans a five-point lead (49-44) with 1:33 left in the period, the Vulcans held a 51-46 margin heading into the final 10 minutes.

In the fourth, the Vulcans pulled away. Tablit free throws put the score at 62-53 with 4:19 remaining. The Argonauts went cold down the stretch, and the Vulcans went on to outscore their visitors 22-11 in the fourth.

Mandi Kawaha had 11 points and five assists for the Vulcans, who moved up in the standings to seventh place.

The Vulcans now hit the road for a two-game California trip, taking on Azusa Pacific on Thursday and Fresno Pacific on Saturday.