BURNABY, British Columbia  – Hawai'i Pacific University got off to a great start, weathered a comeback and controlled the final quarter on its way to an 82-76 non-conference victory over Simon Fraser on Thursday at West Gym.
 
The Sharks (2-1) allowed The Clan (2-2) take a short third quarter lead before taking control for a second time and riding out the win.
 
Senior forward Jessi Reeves of Coffs Harbour, Australia/John Paul, led the way for the Sharks, just missing a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds with three assists and a steal. Freshman forward Alysha Marcucci of Melbourne, Australia/Marist-Sion added 13 points with seven boards as HPU placed five players in double digit scoring. Junior forward Gabriella Fotu of Auckland, New Zealand/Rangitoto posted 12 points with six rebounds, with junior guard Samantha Lambrigtsen of Oregon, Ill./Oregon adding 11 points and junior guard Brittany Allen of Richlands, Va./Richlands, came off the bench with 10 points.
 
SFU placed five players in double-digits, out of the seven player rotation, with Jessica Jones leading the way with 16 points and five rebounds. Tayla Jackson and Sophie Swant each scored 13 points with six boards.
 
The Sharks shot 46 percent from the field, including 32 percent (6-of-19) from the 3-point arc, while nailing 70 percent (14-of-20) from the free throw line. The Clan hit 42 percent from the floor, but 54 percent (13-of-24) from the arc and 71 percent (15-21) from the charity stripe.
 
The Sharks stunned the opening day crowd for The Clan after the initial score by SFU by going on a 12-0 run keyed by Marccui's opening 3-pointer and capped by a traditional 3-point play with layup and free throw by Reeves.
 
The Clan recovered, cutting the lead to 22-20 at the end of the first quarter.
 
HPU played tight with The Clan in the second quarter before a junior guard Jessica Manzano of San Francisco, Calif./St. Ignatius got her only points of the game with a layup that started a 10-0 Sharks run. A layup from Allen with 1:53 left in the half capped the run.  A layup from SFU's Kendal Sands put the Sharks up 38-30 at halftime.
 
Simon Fraser made its move in the third quarter, coming out of the locker room with a 16-4 run to overtake HPU and put The Clan up 46-42, its largest lead of the game.
 
HPU responded with a 3-pointer from senior guard Spencer Gray of Centerville, Ohio/Centerville, to key an 8-2 run for the lead at 50-48.  SFU chipped back to tie the game at 52-all with 1:58 left in the quarter, then the Sharks spit off a 6-0 run behind Fotu before ending the period with a 58-54 advantage.
 
The fourth quarter belonged to Hawai'i Pacific. Started by a Lambrigtsen jumper, HPU rattled off a 12-6 run to claim a 10-point 70-60 lead on a triple by Allen with 5:40 to go.
 
The Sharks extended the lead to 11 with 1:22 to go before The Clan three consecutive 3-pointers, while HPU added a pair of Fotu free throws to cut the Sharks lead to 80-76.
 
However, Lambrigtsen stepped up with a pair of free throws with 16.7 seconds to play that sealed the deal for HPU.
 
The Sharks will get nearly a week off before they are back in action. HPU plays again on Wednesday, Nov. 22 in the Malika Sports Oahu Thanksgiving Classic. The Sharks meet Minnesota State Mankato at 9 a.m. in the classic at St. Francis High School.