FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific University women's basketball team was tripped up on Wednesday night, falling 68-52 to Hawai'i Pacific at the Special Events Center.

"We knew this would be a battle against a good team, but we didn't show up in the first quarter. We kept talking about winning the next possession," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "We are constantly trying to find ways to shift the defense, and not trying to do too much is what allows us high quality shots. Some good things happened for us late, but we can't afford to start the way we did in this league." 
 
Shark forward Jessi Reeves controlled the opening tip to help HPU come away with the first bucket of the evening, but a Bree Alvarez three at the other end gave the Sunbirds their first lead of the game. The Sharks shot 52% from the floor in the first half, carrying a 42-21 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
 
FPU's guests picked up where they left off to start the second half, as Gabriella Fotu laid a shot off the glass just five seconds into the third quarter. The Blue and Orange hit their best stride of the night in the final stanza, however, outscoring their visitors 23-to-11 behind 19 combined points from Megan Lee and Bree Alvarez.
 
Alvarez finished the night with 18 points, matching HPU's Breanna McKenzie for a game-high. Lee followed with 17 points off the Sunbird bench, while Shark guard Danielle Iwami's 12 points helped her end as the only other player in double-figures.
 
McKenzie's nine rebounds were good enough for a game-best, as she narrowly missed her second double-double of the season. Her efforts on the glass helped the Sharks outrebound FPU by a tally of 46-to-25, though the Sunbirds did win the turnover battle 29-to-23.
 
Fresno Pacific is back in action on Saturday, when they wrap up a busy week with a home game against the Silverswords of Chaminade University. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. from the Special Events Center.

"We are expecting a slightly different scheme than what we saw tonight, but they will be another good team. We have to refocus and readjust," Beauregard said. "There are no easy games on this schedule, but there's nobody in this league that we can't compete with when we play with confidence. We are going to seek out ways that we can do that, and will continue to relentlessly pursue our own personal excellence."