HONOLULU — The Hawai'i Pacific University women used a 9-0 third quarter run to pull away from Fresno Pacific 71-55 in PacWest Conference play on Saturday evening at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
 
The Sharks (17-4, 14-2) chalked up their fourth straight win to move into a second place tie in the conference with idle Point Loma. The Sunbirds (5-19, 2-14) dropped their third straight game.
 
"We struggled a bit in the first half, but really came on in the second half," said HPU head coach Reid Takatsuka. "Our defense stepped it up the third and fourth quarters. It was an odd day with all everything that happened around the game and I was pleased that our team was able to regain their concentration and play."
 
Junior center Sarah Liva of Mililani, Hawai'i/Mililani led the Sharks with a career game coming off the bench. Liva posted her first double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds to go with five assists.  All were career-highs for Liva. Junior guard Breanna Mackenzie from Melbourne, Australia/Box Hill scored 11 points with five rebounds, four assists and five steals. Senior guard VeAnne Navarro from Modesto, Calif./Modesto Christian, also collected 11 points.
 
Fresno Pacific got 19 points from Bree Alvarez, with 13 points from Landynn Munster. Ashley Cross pulled down six rebounds to lead the Sunbirds.
 
HPU hit 45 percent from the field (24-of-53), but only 7.7 percent (1-of-13) from the 3-point arc. The Sharks canned 79 percent (22-of-28) from the free throw line. Fresno Pacific connected on just 31 percent (16-of-52) from the floor, including 9-of-18 (50 percent) from the arc. The Sunbirds made just 50 percent (14-of-28) from the foul line.
 
HPU outrebounded FPU 41-33, but suffered one more turnover – 18-to-17 – than did the Sunbirds.
 
The contest, originally scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, was delayed and eventually moved to following the men's game because of a roof leak at the Blaisdell that the game officials deemed unsafe. Blaisdell workers contained the leak and both games were allowed to continue without any problems.
 
The game was tight throughout the first half with the Sharks building a six-point 23-17 lead in the opening quarter.
 
The Sharks maintained that lead until midway through the quarter when Fresno Pacific went on a 13-2 run that featured three consecutive 3-pointers from Alvarez to give the Sunbirds a 37-32 lead with 3:28 to play in the quarter. The Sharks followed with their own 6-0 run to retake the lead at 38-37 on a pair of free throws by Liva with 42 seconds left in the half. But a turnover and foul allowed FPU to take the last shot of the half, and Munster buried a 3-pointer as the second quarter expired for a 40-38 FPU lead at the half.
 
The Sunbirds opened the quarter by adding to the lead when the Sharks said enough. A pair of free throws from Navarro started a 9-0 HPU run that was capped by a layup from sophomore forward Gabriella Fotu from Auckland, New Zealand/Rangitoto. The Sharks would not trail again. FPU would get back within a point before Mackenzie's layup with nine seconds to play in the third gave HPU a 50-47 advantage at the break. The HPU defense held the Sunbirds to shooting 1-of-12 from the floor in the period.
 
The Sharks pulled away in the final quarter using a 9-0 run (11-0 counting the basket in the third) and following a Sunbird 3-pointer, added another 8-0 run. HPU outscored FPU 21-8 in the final frame on the way to a 71-55 win.
 
The Sharks, in the midst of a stretch of seven games in 14 days, are back on the court Monday evening when they host Academy of Art in PacWest play. The contest is set to tipoff at 4:30 p.m. at the Moanalua High School Gym.