Box Score ELLENSBURG, WA (December 17, 2013)—The Hawai`i Pacific Women's Basketball Team (5-2) used a big second half rally to earn a non-conference road victory against Central Washington (5-5) on Tuesday night by the score of 85-77.
HPU jumped out to an early six-point lead after a
Brittany Hale three-pointer made the score 12-6 with 14:34 to play in the first half. The Wildcats clawed their way back to take the lead, but a 9-2 HPU run would give the Sea Warriors a three-point advantage at the break.
HPU shot the ball well from the floor in the first half hitting 42% (16-38) of its shots including 41.7% (5-12) from three-point range. Defensively the Sea Warriors held CWU to 38% (13-34) from the floor and 22% (2-9) from distance.
In the second half, HPU stretched its lead out to six after a
Skye Savini layup with 18:34 to play in the game. CWU answered with a 13-2 run, eventually taking a seven-point lead with just over eight minutes to play.
Just when the Sea Warriors looked to be on the ropes, they responded with a 20-4 run that included five points from
Laken McClelland and seven points in a row from Savini. When it was all said and done, HPU had turned a seven-point deficit into an eight-point win over the final 7:16.
Savini was superb in the second half scoring 15 of her 17 points after the break.
Morganne Comstock finished up a big two days with 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks giving the Washington native 38 points, 24 rebounds and six blocks on the two-game road trip.
McClelland played her best game so far for the Columbia Blue and Kelly Green, tallying 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds. The junior transfer was 5-7 from three-point range, just one three-pointer short of tying the HPU school record.
The Sea Warriors will have a quick turnaround after their 2,700 mile flight back to Honolulu to face #17 Northwest Nazarene on Thursday in the opening game of the HPU Basketball Classic. The game will be played at the historic Bloch Arena at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam at 5:30 p.m.
