FRESNO, Calif. — No. 19 Hawai'i Pacific University hit three straight 3-pointers to open the game and never trailed as they handily defeated Fresno Pacific 88-63 in PacWest Conference action Wednesday night at the FPU Special Events Center.
 
The 19th ranked Sharks (15-1, 7-1) extended the best start in HPU history with the win, while the Sunbirds (2-13, 2-6) dropped its second straight contest.
 
"Our defense was solid and we shot well in the second half," said HPU head coach Darrin Vorderbruegge. "Our guys never let down and we got a good win."
 
For the fourth straight game, guard Connor Looney, a 6-2 senior from Palmer, Alaska/Palmer, paced the way for the Sharks. Looney collected 18 and two steals as four Sharks scored in double figures. Swingman Chauncey Orr a 6-4 graduate student from Bowling Green, Ohio/Bowling Green, scored 12 points with five assists, while guard Jordan Martin, a 5-11 senior from Goodyear, Ariz./Millennium, nearly double-doubled with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Senior Colfax Nordquist, a 6-3 forward from Elk Grove, Calif./Pleasant Grove, came off the bench with 10 points.
 
Jeff Bartley led the Sunbirds with 14 points, with Suhail Mohammadi added 12 points. Mike Cawley chipped in 11 for FPU with eight boards, as R.J. Horn scored 10 points with seven rebounds.
 
The Sharks shot 49 percent from the field (32-of-65) including 46 percent (13-of-28) from the 3-point arc and 11-of-17 (65 percent) from the foul line. Fresno Pacific was held to 31 percent from the floor, hitting 8-of-24 (33 percent) from the arc. The Sunbirds were 19-of-23 from the charity stripe.
 
HPU outrebounded FPU 45-33 with 12 turnovers to the Sunbirds 13.
 
Martin opened the game for the Sharks by connecting on all three of his 3-point attempts as HPU added a layup by forward Elliott DeFreitas, a 6-10 senior from Essex, England/County Upper, on the way to an 11-3 run.
 
Fresno Pacific answered with a 9-5 to pull within four at 16-12 with 13:15 to play, but that was as close as the Sunbirds would get.  Just 14 seconds later Connor Looney got a fast break 3-pointer to key a 13-2 run over the next four minutes as the Sharks rebuilt a double-digit lead. HPU carried a 41-29 lead into the half.
 
After HPU scored the first four points of the second half, the Sunbirds made a 7-0 run at the Sharks to pull within nine at 45-36 with 17:29 to play. That just made the Sharks mad as senior Clayton Guy, a 6-6 senior from Kansas City, Mo./Rockhurst buried a 3 and added a layup to start a 15-1 run and put FPU away.
 
The Sharks got the lead up to 35 at 77-42 before settling for the 88-63 win.
 
HPU, who also moved into the top 10 of the NCAA.com Division II Power Rankings, has won three straight and will travel back to the Bay Area for a game Saturday night against Dominican (Calif.). Tipoff at the Conlan Center is slated for 5:30 p.m. Hawai'i Time (7:30 p.m. Pacific).