IRVINE, Calif. – No. 7/5 Hawai'i Pacific University made the winning streak 18 on Wednesday night, beating Concordia Irvine 76-59 in PacWest Conference play at CU Arena.
 
The Sharks (22-1, 17-0), ranked seventh in the WBCA Division II Coaches poll and fifth in the D2SIDA poll, now holds a four-game lead in the PacWest race with five games left to play. The Eagles (13-8, 11-5) are in third place in the conference.
 
Sophomore Amy Baum of Melbourne, Australia/Rowville Secondary and sophomore Ally Bates of Melbourne, Australia/Yarra Valley both scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds. Baum dished out a game-high six assists, while Bates – who came off the bench – led the game with five steals. Junior Alysha Marcucci of Melbourne, Australia/Marist-Sion collected 14 points and senior Starr Rivera of Honolulu/Roosevelt added 12 points with five assists.
 
Concordia Irvine was led by Jasmine Rachal with 15 points, with Savannah Felix-Amoro adding 13 points with six rebounds. Michaela Vanderklugt just missed a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds, with four assists, and Lainie James tallied 11 points.
 
HPU shot 46 percent (31-of-68) from the floor, and 47 percent (9-of-19) from the 3-point arc. The Sharks went 5-of-7 (71 percent) from the free throw line. The Eagles hit 44 percent (24-of-54) from the field, but only 16 percent (3-of-19) from the arc. CUI made 8-of-13 (62 percent) from the charity stripe. HPU turned the ball over 10 times and force the Eagles into 23 turnovers.
 
The first quarter played tight, featuring four ties and three lead changes. CUI built a five-point 10-5 lead on a jumper from Kennedy Fulcher midway through the opening period before the Sharks countered with a 3-pointer from Marcucci, a layup by freshman Theresa Spatzier of Heidelberg, Germany/St. Raphael and a Rivera jump shot for a 7-0 run to give the Sharks the lead. The Eagles followed with a pair of Rachal layups around a Bates layup to tie the game at 14-14 with 2:54 remaining in the quarter.
 
The next trip up the floor, Baum buried a 3-pointer, followed by a Bates steal to set up a Spatzier triple to take the lead they wouldn't relinquish. After giving up an Eagle 3-pointer, sophomore Abbey Noblett of Morwell, Australia/Lavalla Catholic closed the 8-3 run with a layup and gave the Sharks a 22-17 lead after the first 10 minutes.
 
The Sharks opened the lead to 10 on a Marcucci jumper midway through the second quarter, but the Eagles swapped scores until Noblett hit a jumper with 90 seconds left in the half and Baum threw in a dagger 3-pointer with six seconds remaining to send HPU to the locker room with a 39-27 lead at halftime.
 
HPU dialed up a 16-4 run in the third quarter, capped by a Baum layup with 4:05 left in the quarter for a 22-point 55-33 lead. The Eagles trimmed the lead back a bit before another Baum 3-ball, then HPU allowed two CUI free throws for a 60-42 lead after three quarters.
 
The Sharks eventually took a 23-point 74-51 lead with 3:18 left on a 3-pointer by Rivera before the Eagles had a small run to end the game as HPU finished with a 76-59 win.
 
The Sharks get a couple of days before continuing their Southern California road trip to face Biola on Saturday. Tipoff at Chase Gym Is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. HST (1:30 p.m. PST).