SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Hawai'i Pacific University fell for the second straight day as UC San Diego claimed a 76-64 non-conference victory in a conference challenge event at the Cal State San Marcos Sports Center.
 
The Sharks (0-2) held a brief lead at the start of the contest before the Tritons (2-0) took over the lead it wouldn't relinquish.
 
"We faced one of the top teams in the West Region," said HPU head coach Reid Takatsuka. "We have a fairly young squad and have some missing pieces that we hope will come together soon. I was proud of how we hung together."
 
The Sharks were led by sophomore forward Alysha Marcucci of Melbourne, Australia/Marist-Sion who scored a career-high 25 points with three rebounds and two blocks. Freshman guard Lauryn Hippolite of Nelson, New Zealand/Middle Grange scored 12 points with five rebounds, and senior guard Samantha Lambrigtsen of Oregon, Ill./Oregon just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Tritons got 36 points from Mikayla Williams to go with seven rebounds, as Kayla Sata tallied 14 points. Haleigh Hatfield grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the contest.
 
HPU shot 41 percent (26-of-64) from the floor, including 7-of-24 (29 percent) from the 3-point arc. The Sharks made 5-of-9 shots (56 percent) from the foul line. UCSD hit 38 percent (27-of-71) from the field, and just 4-of-21 (19 percent) from the arc. However, the Tritons made 18-of-23 (78 percent) from the charity stripe. UCSD won the boards 48-37 and suffered 15 turnovers to the Sharks 17.
 
UCSD opened with a put-back on its first possession, and the Sharks answered with a jumper from junior guard Starr Rivera of Honolulu/Roosevelt to tie the game and 3-pointer from Marcucci to take a 5-2 lead in the game's first minute. But after both teams went scoreless for the next three minutes, a triple by Sato started a 9-0 UCSD run and the Tritons never looked back. A trey from freshman guard Amy Baum of Melbourne, Australia/Rowville Secondary, pulled HPU within three at 17-14 after the first quarter.
 
HPU closed to within one at 17-16 on a put-back from Hippolite to start the second quarter, but the Tritons responded with an 8-2 run to go back up by seven on a layup from Sydney Sharp. UCSD added another 8-2 run later in the quarter and finished the half up 35-25.
 
The Sharks made up a little ground in the third quarter, cutting the lead to five after a Marcucci jumper, only to have the Tritons regain ground and take a 49-40 lead into the final frame.
 
UCSD ripped off another 8-2 run to start the fourth and opened up a 20-point lead on a 3-ball from Joleen Yang with 6:15 remaining. HPU closed the gap to 13 on a Marcucci layup and settled for a 12-point final on Hippolite's 3-pointer to make it 76-64.
 
The Sharks return to Oahu for one contest next week before hitting the road again. HPU meets Saint Thomas Aquinas as a part of the Oahu Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, Nov. 16. The contest at the Saint Francis High Gym is set for 11 a.m.