Special K

Thursday, January 21

Kaneohe, Hawaii

6:30 PM

California Baptist University

16-1,8-1PacWest

Hawaii Pacific

9-7, 6-3PacWest

CBU-WBB

Hawaii Pacific

Photo by: Sammi Wellman

1/21/2016 8:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Sammi Sheppard, Director of Sports Information

HONOLULU — Looking to make paradise truly paradise, No. 6 California Baptist University started its Hawaiian swing off on a good foot Thursday night, grabbing a 74-65 victory over Hawaii Pacific.

The Lancers improve to 16-1 on the year, 8-1 in the PacWest, and extends their win streak to nine-straight games. The Sharks fall to 9-7 overall, 6-3 in conference.

"We knew it was going to be a tough first game, they're a good team," said Kamille Diaz. "It was a good battle at the beginning but we regrouped at halftime and played well in the second half. It was a good team effort, but we still have two more game left on this trip."

After giving up a few too many turnovers last game, Diaz made a complete 180-degree turn Thursday night, dishing out seven assists while only turning the ball over once. She topped that with 19 points (7-for-19).

Cassidy Mihalko continued to be a force on offense, finishing with 14 points (6-for-11), but also off the glass with a game-high eight rebounds. Emma Meriggioli (3-for-5) and Courtney Nelson (4-for-14) were each just one point shy of double figures, scoring nine points on the night.

Both teams exchanged three-pointers to open the game up, with Diaz hitting one from deep and Meriggioli knocking down another from the corner.

HPU found the first double possession lead of the night, 18-12, but Mihalko took two points off before the quarter ended. Megan Frerer hit two free throws to keep the run going, cutting the margin down to just two points, 18-16, to start the second frame.

The Sharks stopped the run momentarily, but Erin Asher put Mihalko off on a fast break and then Diaz sank a three and a jump shot to give the Lancers back the lead, 23-20.

CBU tried to make a move to extend itself further, grabbing its highest cushion of the half at 32-25 as Diaz found Brittany Sepeda around the perimeter.

While the Lancers didn't end the first half as they'd hope, trailing 36-35 at the break, they came out in the second half looking to take command of the game. CBU opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run to take a 44-38 cushion.

Frerer jumpstarted the run, banking it in off the glass on an in-bound pass. The Lancers keyed in on defense to make stops and keep the run going, allowing Mihalko to knock down a triple and Nelson to drive to the basket.

HPU managed to chip away at the lead, slicing it down to just two points, 51-49, with just under four minutes left in the quarter, but the Lancers closed out the remaining time with eight-straight points.

Frerer scored the first three points of the run, before Darsha Burnside followed by sinking both her chances at the charity stripe. Diaz closed the run with three points to jump her team in front 59-49 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Asher further distanced her team from the Sharks by banking in a shot off the backboard from beyond the arc, 69-54. HPU tried to stay with the Lancers, but CBU wouldn't allow the home team to get extra looks off the glass.

Burnside, who was seeing her first minutes on the court after dealing with an injury, posted up under the basket to give CBU a 71-57 lead. Meriggioli sealed the Lancer victory, 74-65, finishing a chance at the line.

CBU remains on Oahu for one more game before jumping over to the Big Island to conclude its three-game trip. The Lancers take on BYU-Hawaii Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Pacific time and Hawaii-Hilo on Monday, with the same tip time.