HILO, Hawaii — No. 6 California Baptist University had to fight through some adversity as its shots from the perimeter weren't falling, but the Lancers grinded out a 71-60 victory over Hawaii-Hilo.
 
With less than 10 games left in the regular season, CBU looks to finish strong and gain momentum heading into the postseason. The Lancers are on the right track, moving to 18-1 overall and 10-1 in conference, sitting in a three-way tie for first place with Academy of Art and No. 25 Azusa Pacific. The win also extends CBU's win streak to 11 consecutive games. UHH drops to 4-11 on the year, 4-6 in the PacWest.
 
Courtney Nelson led all scorers with 24 points (11-for-20) and all rebounders with 11 boards for a double-double on the night. Cassidy Mihalko followed with 17 points, while Kamille Diaz added 10 points.
 
It took CBU a little while to get its shots to fall, finding itself down 7-2 halfway through the first quarter. Darsha Burnside got things going, spinning off her defender to put it up and in, 7-4.
 
The Lancers couldn't quite get a run going until Emma Meriggioli grabbed an offensive board and banked her shot in off the backboard to even the game up at 12-12. It sparked the Lancer offense as CBU finished the quarter with its first lead of the game, 16-12.
 
After UHH closed the gap to 20-18, Diaz stripped the ball away from the home team and scored off the fast break. She followed it up with a swish shot from the perimeter, extending CBU's lead to 25-18.
 
Once again, the Vulcans battled to bring the score back within reach, 29-28, forcing the Lancers to call a timeout. After regrouping, Nelson drove to the basket and grabbed a strong defensive rebound which led to a Diaz layup to give CBU some breathing room, 33-28.
 
Walking into halftime with a 33-31 edge, CBU came out of the break looking to clean up its shots. The Lancers, who lead the PacWest in three-point shooting percentage (39.4%) and average threes per game (9.9), made just two shots from the perimeter in the first half to hold a 10.5 shooting percentage.
 
UHH wouldn't make it easy, however, tying the game at 48-48 with under two minutes left in the third. The Lancers closed the quarter on a 4-0 spurt, with Burnside picking up a block to keep the run going.
 
Erin Asher and Meriggioli extended the run into the final 10 minutes, each driving to the basket to make it 56-48.  The Vulcans cut the run early before the Lancers could gain too much momentum and jump in front by double-digits for the first time.
 
CBU got what it was looking for three minutes into the frame as Nelson gave her team a 10-point cushion, 60-50, forcing a UHH timeout. Nelson kept it going, knocking down a three to further distance the Lancers from the Vulcans.
 
The distance came in handy as UHH went on a 7-0 run to chip away at the margin, slicing it down to 65-57 with under three minutes to play.
 
UHH tried to foul back into the contest as the clock hit the minute mark, but CBU closed out the 71-60 victory, winning its 11th-straight.
 
The Lancers return to California, but continue on the road as they head to a closer foe in PacWest newcomer — and former NAIA opponent — Concordia (Irvine) on Saturday, tipping off at 5:30 p.m. CBU returns home to host BYU-Hawaii on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 4:00 p.m.