FRESNO, Calif. — Hawai'i Pacific University used a 16-0 run in the first quarter to put away Fresno Pacific early, then held on for a 68-52 PacWest Conference victory Thursday evening at the FPU Special Events Center.
 
The Sharks (9-3, 6-1) won their third straight game by taking the second game of a four-game Northern California road trip. The Sunbirds (4-12, 1-7) dropped their second straight.
 
"It was another good win for us," said HPU head coach Reid Takatsuka. "I was really happy how we dominated early, then regained our composure after they made a run. But we really can't have 29 turnovers again. That won't be good against the top of the league."
 
The Sharks were led again by junior guard Breanna Mackenzie from Melbourne, Australia/Box Hill who posted her second straight 18-point scoring game and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds to go along with her game-high three steals. Freshman Danielle Iwami, a guard from Seal Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos, added 12 points with three assists and two steals as she hit 4-of-5 shots from the 3-point arc.
 
Fresno State got 18 points from Bree Alvarez and 17 points from Megan Lee.
 
HPU shot 41 percent for the game (22-of-53), with 6-of-16 (38 percent) from the arc. The Sharks connected on 78 percent (18-of-23) from the free throw line. FPU was held to 33 percent from the floor (18-of-55), with 7-of-20 from the arc (35 percent) and 9-of-16 (56 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
The Sharks won the battle on the boards 46-25, but suffered a season-high 29 turnovers. HPU did force the Sunbirds to turn it over 23 times.
 
HPU got the early 3-0 lead when Iwami buried the first shot of the game from long range, but the Sunbirds came back with a short jumper then a 3-ball from Alvarez to take a 5-3 lead just 97 seconds into the game. FPU didn't realize they wouldn't score again in the quarter.
 
Iwami buried an answering trey 12 seconds later to start a 16-0 run for the rest of the quarter. HPU shot 47 percent in the quarter on the way to a 19-5 lead.
 
The second quarter was all but a knockout for HPU, as the Sharks shot 60 percent and extended the lead to 21 points at 42-21 at the half with a 16-3 run in the five minutes of the second. Junior center Sarah Liva from Miliani, Hawai'i/Mililani, scored all nine of her points in the period.
 
The third quarter saw the Sharks continue to climb, adding another 13-3 run that gave the Sharks their largest lead of 31 points.
 
But the Sunbirds wouldn't quit. As the Sharks eased off the gas that led to 10 turnovers and 2-of-12 shooting from the floor (17 percent), FPU made an 18-5 run to pull within 15 points at 62-47 with 5:47 to play. But HPU held the line down the stretch and didn't allow the Sunbirds to score past the last two-and-a half minutes of the game to win 68-52.
 
With two games down on the Northern California road trip, the Sharks will be in action again on Saturday when they visit Dominican (Calif.). Tipoff at the Conlan Center is slated for 3:30 p.m. Hawai'i Time (5:30 Pacific).