HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University sophomore Alysha Marcucci buried six 3-pointers on the way to 27 points to lead the defending PacWest Conference champions to a 69-48 victory over Hawai'i Hilo to open league play at Moanalua Gym on Thursday night.
 
The Sharks (2-4, 1-0) overcame a first quarter deficit to the Vulcans (2-1, 0-1) before opening a double-digit lead in the conference opening win.
 
"Alysha had a great first half and set the tone for us," said HPU coach Reid Takatsuka. "We still have a lot of work to do, but we got a good win to open conference play."
 
Marcucci, the sophomore forward from Melbourne, Australia/Marist-Sion, had 22 points and all six of her treys in the first half. She needed one more triple to tie the school record, but finished with 27 point to go with four rebounds and four blocked shots. Freshman Abbey Noblett of Morwell, Australia/Lavalla Catholic scored 11 points with two blocks, while freshman Lauryn Hippolite of Nelson, New Zealand/Middleton Grange added 10 points. Senior Samantha Lambrigtsen of Oregon, Ill./Oregon double-doubled with 10 points and 12 rebounds with five assists and three steals. Freshman Amy Baum of Melbourne, Australia/Rowville Secondary grabbed 10 rebounds along with seven assists and a block while scoring two points.
 
The Vulcans got 13 points from Allie Navarette, with Mandi Kawaha adding nine points with six rebounds and three assists.
 
HPU shot 43 percent from the field (26-of-60), hitting 7-of-22 (32 percent) from 3-point range. The Sharks also connected on 10-of-13 (77 percent) from the foul line. UH Hilo managed 33 percent from the floor (18-of-54), including 4-of-23 (17 percent) from the arc. The Vulcans made 8-of-13 (62 percent) from the free throw stripe. The Sharks outrebounded the Vulcans 44-31 and suffered 16 turnovers to UHH's 19.
 
The team swapped the lead twice and recorded four ties in the first three-and-a half minutes, knotting the game at 9-all on a jumper by the Vulcan's Kawaha. But back-to-back-to-back 3's from Marcucci keyed an 11-2 run for the Sharks and HPU never trailed again. The period ended on Marcucci's fifth triple to put HPU up by double-digits for the rest of the game and ended the quarter up 23-13.
 
The Sharks opened the second period with a 7-2 run to open a 15-point lead on a Marcucci layup, and later extended the lead to 19 before a pair of Vulcan layups in the last minute of the half. HPU carried a 41-26 advantage into intermission.
 
The Vulcans rallied after HPU took a 17-point lead in the third quarter, cutting the Sharks lead to 11 with 35 second left. The Lambrigtsen collected a jumper and Marcucci blocked a Kawaha shot to end the period with HPU up 52-39.
 
HPU pushed the lead past 20 points in the fourth quarter, with Baum collecting the final hoop with 17 seconds to play to give HPU the 69-48 win.
 
The Sharks don't have much time to celebrate their win, as they continue PacWest Conference play on Saturday afternoon when Fresno Pacific visits. Tipoff at Moanalua Gym is set for 1 p.m.