ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Hawai'i Pacific University closed a 17-point second half deficit to four midway through the fourth quarter before Canada's Simon Fraser went on a run to defeat HPU 82-67 on Friday in the first game of the DII Coast-To-Coast Classic at the Alaska Airlines Center.
 
The Sharks (1-3) had a 16-3 run to start the fourth quarter before The Clan (3-1) answered with an 11-1 run that put the game out of reach.
 
Freshman Lauryn Hippolite of Nelson, New Zealand/Middle Grange led HPU with a game-high 18 points to go with five rebounds, while freshman Abbey Noblett of Morwell, Australia/Lavalla Catholic added 13 points, a game-high seven rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Alysha Marcucci of Melbourne, Australia/Marist-Sion and senior Samantha Lambrigtsen of Oregon, Ill./Oregon both scored 10 points with five boards, while junior Starr Rivera of Honolulu/Roosevelt scored nine points with a game-high seven rebounds.
 
Simon Fraser got a game-high 18 points and six assists from Tayler Drynan as Samantha Beauchamp added 14 points and a game-high seven boards. Sophie Swant posted 12 points, six boards and five assits, with Georgia Swant adding 11 points.
 
The Sharks shot 31 percent from the field (24-of-78), including 5-of-23 (22 percent) from the 3-point arc. HPU hit 14-of-15 (93 percent) from the free throw line. The Clan shot 37 percent (19-of-51) from the floor, but 11-of-24 (46 percent) from the arc. SFU hit 33-of-44 shots (75 percent) from the charity stripe. HPU outrebounded SFU 45-40, and both teams turned the ball over 13 times.
 
The Sharks had control of the game early, jumping off to a 9-5 lead on a free throw by Noblett with 6:35 in the quarter. The Clan pulled back to within one at 11-10  before the Sharks went on a 6-0 run to claim an 18-10 lead with a pair of Noblett free throws with 3:39 left in the quarter. SFU chipped away at the HPU lead and after a Georgia Swant 3-pointer, the Sharks led 20-17 after the first period.
 
SFU carried the momentum into the second quarter and with the 3-pointer from the end of the first, The Clan went on a 14-0 run into the second and never looked back, as Noblett hit a pair of free throws for HPU's first points of the quarter. HPU made a run at the end of the half, getting a 3-pointer and a steal and layup by Hippolite to go into intermission down 33-31.
 
The Clan opened the third quarter on a 10-2 run going up 43-33 on a 3-pointer by Jones at the 7:42 mark. SFU added a second 9-2 run later in the quarter to take a 17-point 54-37 lead with 3:10 left and held that margin through the end of the quarter to lead 60-43.
 
The Sharks rallied to start the fourth, as Rivera hit two free throws and added a 3-pointer to start an 11-1 run to pull within seven and later added a Rivera jumper and a Marcucci 3-pointer to close the gap to four at 63-59 with 4:55 to play.
 
The teams swapped scores and HPU stayed within four at 65-61 with 4:19 to go. The Clan replied with a triple from Drynan to key a 9-1 run and the Sharks never came back, falling 82-67.
 
The Sharks don't have long to dwell on the loss as they face D2 Coast-To-Coast  Classic host Alaska Anchorage on Saturday at 4 p.m. HST (5 p.m. AST) at Alaska Airlines Center.