FRESNO, Calif. – The FPU women's basketball team (7-11 overall, 2-9 PacWest) earned its third straight win on Tuesday night when they knocked off Hawaii Hilo (7-11 overall, 4-8 PacWest) 58-49 thanks to a strong defensive performance and efficient shooting from the free throw line.

"Our biggest game plan tonight was connectivity, and on possessions where we had that, we were really, really good," head coach Tim Beauregard said. "We didn't have a lot of momentum coming into these three games. We talked about how it needed to be a concerted effort for all of us to kick that tiny snowball from the top of the mountain and get it over the edge. We've been harping on it every single day that once we get this thing rolling, we can make a really good run, and tonight was a good start."

The Sunbirds got off to a hot start, scoring seven points off back-to-back jumpers from Bre Hurt followed by a 3-pointer from Sara Lundqvist to make it 7-4 early in the contest.

While both teams continued to struggle offensively in the first period, it was the FPU defense that forced the Vulcans to take tough shots while also turning them over three times to take a 16-11 lead into the second period.

The Sunbirds continued to roll in the second quarter, building their lead to as many as 12 points behind a pair of 3-pointers from Joleen Corona and efficient free throw shooting from Julie Ramirez, who also had two of FPU's four blocks in the period on the defensive end, and they were able to outscore the Vulcans 14-10 to take a 30-21 lead into the break.

The third quarter was a big one for Hilo, whose defense was able to hold the Sunbirds to just nine total points. The defense stayed strong for FPU as well, holding Hilo to just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field with two more blocks from Rachel Berry and Lydia Manu.

The Vulcans were able to cut the FPU lead to three points to start the fourth quarter, but a quick 5-0 run – capped off by a big 3-pointer from Corona – forced Hilo to call a timeout with 8:30 left in the contest and FPU leading 44-36.

The Sunbird defense continued to be a problem for Hilo, forcing tough shots which turned into strong offense on the other end when FPU stretched its lead to 11 points with 26 seconds left thanks to big free throws from Ramirez and Anisa Rillo, and the 'Birds were able to hang on for their third straight win.

The Sunbirds' aggressive play led to a 26-for-36 night from the free throw line, and the defense only allowed Hilo to shoot 30 percent from the field while recording seven total blocked shots.

Ramirez and Corona each finished with 11 points, with Ramirez going 9-for-12 from the line and Corona going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.

Hurt finished the contest with 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers, and Rillo pulled down 12 rebounds to go along with seven points. Rix filled the stat sheet with nine points, four assists and three rebounds.

FPU will continue their home stand with a matchup against Point Loma on Saturday. Tip-off from the Special Events Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.

SUNBIRD SOCIAL

• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds
• Facebook - /FPUsunbirds