HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University held off a frantic comeback attempt to extend the school record winning streak to 14 games as the Sharks defeated Dixie State 76-73 in PacWest Conference action Saturday afternoon at Moanalua High School Gym.
 
The Sharks (18-2, 12-1) had a nine-point fourth quarter advantage vanish, but never allowed the Trailblazers (10-12, 6-9) to get the lead.
 
 "We held on for this one," said HPU head coach Reid Takatsuka. "We'd get a good lead and Dixie just kept coming back. Our defense stepped up when we needed it."
 
With HPU leading by three with 15 seconds to play, DSU's Matti Ventling launched a 3-pointer that was blocked by freshman forward Jessica Harley – one of her three blocked shots – the rebound resulted in a Dixie State layup and HPU converted free throws after the throw-in for the win.
 
Junior guard Samantha Lambrigtsen of Oregon, Ill./Oregon HS, came off the bench to lead the Sharks with 17 points and eight rebounds. Senior forward Jessi Reeves of Coffs Harbour, Australia/John Paul, tallied 13 points with five rebounds and freshman forward Alysha Marcucci of Melbourne, Australia/Marist-Sion, chipped in 10 points. Senior guard Spencer Gray of Centerville, Ohio/Centerville, hit four free throws of her eight total points in the last two minutes.
 
Maile Richardson led the Trailblazers with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Keslee Stevenson posted 11 points. Morgan Myers and Tramina Johnson each added nine points. Mariah Martin and Kristin Baldwin also pulled down seven rebounds.
 
HPU shot just 39 percent (24-of-62) from the field, but 41 percent (7-of-17) from the 3-point arc. The Sharks connected on 21-of-29 free throws (72 percent). DSU hit 48 percent from the floor (29-of-60), with 7-of-23 (30 percent) from the arc. The Trailblazers hit 8-of-12 (67 percent) from the foul line. HPU edged Dixie 38-35 on the boards, and turned the ball over nine times to the Trailblazers 15.
 
HPU jumped out to the first quarter lead, going up by six on a 3-pointer by junior forward Gabriella Fotu of Auckland, New Zealand/Rangitoto, but the Trailblazers came up with back-to-back 3-pointers from Jordan and Ventling to grab a lead with 40 seconds left in the quarter. However, sophomore guard Starr Rivera of Honolulu/Roosevelt, responded with a top-of-the-key 3-ball to send HPU to a 17-16 lead at the quarter.
 
The teams battled through the second quarter with four lead changes and two ties. The Trailblazers even built a four-point lead on a 3-pointer by Stevenson, only to have HPU battle back. With Dixie leading 33-32, Marcucci was fouled on a 3-point shot and made all three free throws to five HPU the lead at 35-33 with 1:17 before halftime. The Sharks never lost the lead again, and went into halftime with a 37-33 advantage following a Reeves layup in the last five seconds.
 
The third quarter saw DSU tie the Sharks twice before HPU made a move. With the game knotted at 44, Reeves got a layup-free throw 3-point play to key a 9-0 run for their first nine-point lead of the game. The teams swapped scores before a jumper from Lambrigtsen sent the Sharks to a 56-49 lead at the end of three quarters.
 
In the fourth, HPU built the lead back to nine when the Trailblazers went on a 9-0 run and tied the score at 58-all on a pair of Taylor Moeaki free throws with 7:14 remaining. HPU regained the lead on a Rivera triple and pushed the lead back out to eight points with 1:42 left on a Gray free throw.
 
Dixie State answered with a layup from Richardson and a Jordan 3-pointer to pull within three at 74-71 to set up the excitement in the final minute.
 
The first place Sharks conclude their four-game homestand on Tuesday evening when they host Hawai'i Hilo. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at Moanalua High School.