BELMONT, Calif.--Host Notre Dame de Namur led from start to finish on their way to a 64-51 women's basketball win over UH HIlo on Thursday night at the Walter Gleason Gymnasium.

The victory for the Argonauts means a season split between the two squads, after the Vulcans won the initial 2020 match in Hilo on January 13, 73-57. UH Hilo dropped to 8-14 overall with the loss and to 7-11 in the Pacific West Conference. NDNU is now 8-16 overall and 6-12 in conference play.

Allie Navarette equaled her season record of 19 rebounds in the cause. She grabbed that same number on Monday night against Holy Names, when she also tallied 34 points. Tonight, nine of her boards were on the offensive end. She finished with 10 points for her eighth double-double of the year.

Kim Schmelz led the Vulcans with 15 points, and Mandi Kawaha was in double figures with 10. Cheyenne Jankulovski missed only two shots on her way to 13 points to lead the Argonauts, and teammate Auren Isaacson added 12.

NDNU scored the first three baskets of the game (6-0) and would never trail the rest of the night. It took the Vulcans almost five minutes to get on the board, and they shot only 17 percent in the first quarter (2 of 12) to trail at the end of ten minutes, 13-8. 

UHH would pull to within one point early in the second quarter (14-13) on a Chyann Gabriel basket, but would trail at the half, 28-21. The third quarter was where the Argonauts began to pull away, scoring 18 points in the period to lead, 46-32.  In the fourth, they would increase their margin to as many as 22 points (57-35) before settling for the 13-point margin at the end.

Neither team shot lights out on the night, with the Vulcans at 34 percent and NDNU at 44%. Both team had only a trio of three-pointers all night, but the Argo's made their money at the free throw line where they converted 21 of 25 shots (84%).

UH Hilo will play the final game of this four-game northern California swing on Saturday night versus Academy of Art. The game will be played at Dominican University, and will start at 1 p.m. Pacific time.