Box Score BOX SCORE

HONOLULU, Hawai`i--No. 3 nationally ranked Hawai`i Pacific jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the first six and a half minutes of their Saturday afternoon women's basketball match-up with Hawai`i Hilo, creating a reef too tall to climb over for the Vulcans at the Shark Tank. 

UH Hilo played close to even basketball for the next two quarters against the west region's top team, but it was too late as the host Sharks would go on to claim a 80-48 win. HPU improved to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Pacific West Conference, while the Vulcans dropped to 2-3 overall and in league play. The two squads will play again on Sunday (noon) at the old St. Francis School.

Mandi Kawaha led the Vulcans with 11 points and Sara Shimizu added 10 on two-of-three shooting from three-point range. Shimizu also led the Vulcans with five boards. 

Olivia West opened the game with a three-pointer for the hosts, and Shimizu countered with a basket for the Vulcans. But the Sharks went on a 10-0 run from there and UH Hilo was playing a big game of catch-up the rest of the way. HPU led 19-6 at the end of the first quarter, holding the Vulcans to just two field goals.

From late in the first quarter to partway through the second, the Sharks scored 11 straight points to take a 34-9 lead. UHH rebounded with a 10-4 run of their own to close to 38-19 at the half. The Vulcans would climb to within 14 points with 6:11 left in the third on a Malia Lee trey (42-28) and they would actually outscore the three-time defending conference champs in the third period (17-16). 

But HPU began the fourth quarter on a 13-3 run to push the score out of reach. They would double up the Vulcans in the final period (26-13) to reach the final tally of 80-48.

Ally Bates led talented Sharks with 21 points and she had nine boards. West finished with 16 points, hitting 3-of-4 three-pointers. Alysha Marcucci had a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds, and Amy Baum had a season-high 12 assists to help her team win their 29th straight contest. 

Kim Schmelz added nine points to UHH's total and Jenna Waki had eight, converting 6-of-8 free throws. But the Vulcans shot just 30 percent from the field and were out-rebounded 41-28. HPU drained ten three-pointers and nailed 16-of-19 free throw attempts.