SAN DIEGO – Hawai'i Pacific University saw No. 17/19 Point Loma go on a 14-2 first half run to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish as PLNU beat HPU 91-64 in PacWest Conference play on Monday night at Golden Gym.
 
The Sharks (9-16, 7-12) fell for the sixth straight game while the Sea Lions (18-6, 14-4), ranked 17th by the NABC and tied for 19th by the D2SIDA, snapped a three-game losing streak.
 
The Sharks were led by senior Ronald Blain of McDonough, Ga./Union Grove who scored 23 points and six rebounds with four assists. Senior Daniel Melifonwu of San Diego/Lincoln and junior David Rowlands of Dayton, Ohio/Moorpark each added eight points.
 
Brock Mackenzie scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Sea Lions. Darnell Robateau chalked up 16 points, six rebounds and eight assists, while Sterling Sommers put up 15 points with a game-high eight rebounds. Kaden Anderson added 10 points with seven boards.
 
The Sharks shot 40 percent (22-of-55) from the floor, while hitting 6-of-19 (32 percent) from the 3-point arc. HPU connected on 14-of-18 (78 percent) at the foul line. Point Loma shot 48 percent (33-of-69) from the field, with 12-of-33 (36 percent) from the arc. The Sea Lions went 13-of-17 (77 percent) from the charity stripe. PLNU won the battle the boards 40-to-33 and turned the ball over eight times to HPU 15.
 
The Sharks opened the contest with the lead, getting a four-point advantage three times, the last time at 16-12 on a jumper by Melifonwu with 10:41 to play in the opening half.
 
PLNU caught fire on a 3-pointer from Ben Okhotin that started a 17-5 run that put the Sea Lions up by eight points with 6:02 in the half and Point Loma never trailed again. The Sharks chipped back to get within three on a dunk by Blain. Both squads swapped scores as HPU trailed 36-33 with 24 seconds before the half on a pair of free throws by Rowlands. But a Peter Hewitt dunk with a second remaining put the Sea Lions up 38-33 at halftime.
 
HPU battled through the first six minutes of the second half before the nationally-ranked Sea Lions used a Robateau jumper to key a 9-0 and Point Loma never led by less than double digits again. Point Loma closed on a 9-3 run for the final of 91-64.
 
The Sharks return to Hawai'i for their final three contests of the regular season, but stay on the road as they travel to the Big Island to face Hawai'i Hilo on Saturday afternoon at Afook-Chenin Civic Auditorium. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.