SAN RAFAEL, Calif. In a thrilling battle at the Dominican University, the Hawai'i Pacific University (HPU) women's basketball team fought valiantly but fell short in a narrow 65-60 loss. The Sharks entered the contest 1-2 in conference action, seeking to even the score at .500 with a significant win against a strong 10-3 Penguin squad.

Kamehameha-Kapālama's Kalina Obrey earned her first start of 2024 for the Sharks,and made an immediate impact by helping HPU jump out to an 18-8 lead in the first quarter. The junior displayed remarkable accuracy from the field in the first half, scoring eight points and set the tone for the Blue and White.

However, the Penguins roared back in the second quarter, outscoring the Sharks 24-9 and took a five-point lead into halftime. Jordyn Jensen emerged as a driving force for HPU in the second half, contributing ten of her 16 points and played crucial role in narrowing the deficit to two points heading into the final ten minutes.

Despite the valiant effort, foul trouble plagued Hawai'i Pacific late in the game, preventing them from completing the comeback. The Penguins managed to hold on to their lead, securing a hard-fought 65-60 victory.

Kalina Obrey and Jordyn Jensen led the charge for HPU, combining for an impressive 31 points. Meanwhile, Ella Berge and Megan Jones made significant contributions off the glass, each collecting 10 rebounds.

Looking ahead, Hawai'i Pacific gears up for a two-game stand against Academy of Art and Dominican, returning to back to the Shark Tank this weekend. The narrow loss serves as a catalyst for the Sharks to fine-tune their game and bounce back stronger as PacWest play continues to pick up.