ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An even 50-percent performance from the field made California Baptist University one-for-one in the NCAA Division II playoffs. It came with a 77-69 upset of Hawaii Pacific in the Lancers' first postseason game as a fully-fledged NCAA member.
 
The proof was in the percentages for CBU Friday evening in the Alaska Airlines Center on the campus of tournament-host Alaska Anchorage. The fifth-seeded Lancers overcame the fourth-seeded and 25^th-ranked Sharks by shooting 29-of-58 from the field, 45-percent from three (9-20) and holding HPU to percentages of 34.9 (30-86) and 25 (5-20) overall and from deep, respectively.
 
While the Lancers may have dominated Friday's stat line, that's not to say the game came easy against a team that defeated it 74-73 in the PacWest Championship game last Saturday. There were eight ties and five lead changes across the game's 40 minutes, although CBU led most of the way.
 
"I was really proud of the way we played at the end, I thought we played with a lot of determination and made some big plays," Coach Jarrod Olson said. "With a small margin of victory and two good teams, sometimes that's all it takes."
 
After being held in check early, Courtney Nelson erupted late in the first and early in the second half to finish with a game-high 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting overall and two threes on five attempts. The sophomore also nabbed eight rebounds and chipped in three assists for CBU. While the performance was impressive, Nelson's explanation was simple.
 
"I just wing it and hope it works out," Nelson said of her ability to overcome a slow start. "My teammates set me up and that's just what happens, I just play."
 
Three other Lancers broke double digits on the scoreboard. Kamille Diaz ended up with 15 points (5-for-13, 3-for-5 from three), along with six rebounds and four assists. Chanel Cambronero chipped in 11 points (4-for-9), five boards and four dimes, while Erin Asher rounded out the quartet with 10 points (4-for-5, 2-for-2 from three), four assists and three rebounds.
 
Darsha Burnside nearly finished with a double-double, with 12 rebounds, seven points (3-for-7) and four blocks for the Lancers. Cassidy Mihalko also packed a scoring punch with nine points (3-for-8), four rebounds and two assists.  
 
"We stuck with the game plan tonight," Olson said. "We did a good job on focusing on playing as a team."

CBU jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the game, behind Cambronero's hot start, as she scored the first four Lancer points. A Burnside bucket and Mihalko three capped the opening run for the Lancers.
 
Hawaii Pacific pulled back within three, 13-10, but that's when CBU caught fire from three. Two long-range shots from Diaz sandwiched a triple from Asher, as the Lancers went back up by nine, 22-13. The Sharks kept close, 26-21, before a 13-4 run fueled by seven Nelson points and five from Cambronero gave CBU the biggest lead of the game at 39-25. 
 
Once again, however, Hawaii Pacific had a response and put a run together. That charge spanned the final three minutes of the first half and first four of the second, as the Sharks took its largest lead of the game at 47-43.

A timeout from Olson helped the Lancers get their legs back, as they jumped back in front 49-47 on three-straight layups from Nelson, Diaz and Asher.
 
"That's what happens when you play good teams, there's going to be runs both ways," Olson said. "It just goes back and forth, ebbs and flows. We knew it was coming and we kept our focus."
 
There were seven ties down the stretch, but HPU would not take another lead the rest of the way. Whenever the Sharks looked to jump back in front, there was a Lancer with an answer. Nelson laid one up and in after Hawaii Pacific tied the game at 49 and Diaz drilled a three with 12:48 to go, breaking a 51-51 tie.
 
"We just needed to stay focused, there was a lot of basketball left to be played," Diaz said. "Especially at halftime, we knew they were going to go on a run, we just had to play our game and stay composed."
 
A Burnside layup put CBU up six, 59-53, with 10:47 to play, but Hawaii Pacific came screaming back and tied the game at 59 about 1:30 later. The score went back and forth from there, with deadlocks at 62, 64 and 68 -- the last of which came with 5:55 left on the clock.
 
It was Diaz setting up a Nelson trey with 5:12 remaining that gave the Lancers a 71-68 lead it would not relinquish. Diaz built on the cushion with a layup at the 4:34 mark.
 
Both defenses locked in over the final few minutes, with Burnside's rebounding proving clutch for CBU. With only a few seconds remaining and the Lancers enjoying a 73-69 advantage, the Sharks suddenly had to hope to foul back into contention.
 
Diaz cashed in two shots at the line to give the Lancers a six-point edge, 75-69, and Mihalko finished both of her shots at the charity stripe to cap the scoring and seal the big victory.
 
"This win is a pretty big deal," Diaz said. "It's really cool to have made [the playoffs] and to have won in our first shot."
 
CBU moves on to face the winner of Friday night's game between top-ranked and seeded Alaska Anchorage and No. 8 seed Point Loma Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Pacific time in the tournament semifinals.