IRVINE, Calif. — The Hawai'i Pacific University women used an 18-2 run to start the second quarter to break open a close contest and blow away Azusa Pacific 76-48 Monday evening at the Felix Event Center.
 
The Sharks (15-4, 12-2) completed a three-game Southern California road trip with their second straight win. The Cougars (12-11, 10-5) had a five-game win streak snapped.
 
"We got a great win tonight against a good team," said HPU head coach Reid Takatsuka. "We used our defense to start our offense, shot the ball well and played a solid game."
 
The Sharks were led paced by a pair of seniors coming off the bench. Guard Brianne Yasukochi of Oceanside, Calif./LaJolla Country Day and forward Cece Pearl of Peoria, Ariz./Peoria, each scored 15 points to lead HPU. Yasukochi hit 4-of-7 from the 3-point arc, while Pearl added 3-of-6 from long range to account for seven of the Sharks nine treys. Junior forward Sara Liva of Mililani, Hawai'i/Mililani and sophomore forward Gabriella Fotu of Auckland, New Zealand/Rangitoto, both chalked up nine points with eight rebounds. Senior center Aminata Cole of Anchorage, Alaska/Dimond, led the team with nine rebounds to go with seven points.
 
Abigail Goodsell led the Cougars with 17 points, as Samantha Huddleston came off the bench to post 10 points with nine rebounds.
 
HPU hit 46 percent from the field (29-of-63), including the 41 percent from the arc (9-of-22). The Sharks made 9-of-15 free throws (60 percent). APU was held to just 25 percent from the floor (15-of-61), including 5-of-21 from the arc (24 percent). The Cougars made 13-of-20 (65 percent) from the charity stripe.
 
The Sharks had a 49-37 advantage on the boards as both teams turned the ball over 17 times.
 
The game was tight throughout the first quarter, with the squads exchanging the lead six times with three ties.
 
Azusa Pacific had as much as four-point twice in the opening period before the Sharks answered. With APU up 13-12, Liva got a layup in the paint with 2:02 to play for a 14-13 lead and added a free throw a minute later to go up 15-13. The turning point actually came on the following possession Yasukochi came up floor following a Cougar turnover and nailed a walkup 3-point shot as the buzzer sounded in the quarter, boosting HPU to an 18-13 lead.
 
With the ball to start the second, Yasukochi buried another 3-ball nine seconds in to start the 18-2 run that saw the Cougars never recover. If you included the scoring at the end of the first with it, HPU went on a 24-2 stretch to put away APU. The Sharks carried a 40-23 lead into halftime.
 
The teams were nearly even through the third before a 9-2 Shark run ended any hope that may have lingered for the Cougars. Pearl capped the scoring with a 3-pointer to give HPU the 76-48 win.
 
The Sharks come back to the island for a pair of games this week, as they visit the Cannon Event Center on Thursday to face BYU-Hawaii at 5 p.m. They host Fresno Pacific on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.