HONOLULU, Hawaii – Looking to continue their momentum after comeback wins in each of their last two games, the Cougars couldn't pull off the trifecta.
A steady effort throughout allowed Hawaii Pacific to lead a majority of the game as they posted a 77-68 win against Azusa Pacific.
"We did some good things but Hawaii Pacific is a good team and we needed to play more efficiently. Make no mistake I'm proud of the way we battled despite being behind but we need to clean up some of our mistakes," said head coach T.J. Hardeman.
The loss ends the Cougars' season long three-game winning streak in their second of three games on the Hawaiian Islands. The road trip to start the calendar year ends on Saturday versus BYU-Hawaii.
Abigail Goodsell played all 40 minutes as she led the Cougars with 18 points and six assists. The junior hit a game high four three-pointers. Gabrielle Kaiser scored in double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games by tallying 11.
A pair of 24-point performances paced the Sharks. Breanna MacKenzie and Cece Pearl made 10 field goals each as they combined to score over 60 percent of the squad's points. Pearl came off the bench to record her high scoring game.
With Azusa Pacific looking to post a third straight comeback win after falling behind early, the Sharks were able to keep their early lead stand-up as they never trailed after the first quarter.
In the second quarter the home team used an 11-0 run to grow a 25-23 edge into a 13-point edge. Hawaii Pacific eventually took a 38-30 advantage into the locker room.
A pesky Cougars squad continued to chip at their deficit into the third quarter. When Tara Casey nailed a three-pointer with 4:35 left in the frame, Azusa Pacific (6-8, 4-2 PacWest) found themselves down just 45-42. Unfortunately that was as close as they would get to taking the lead.
As the final minutes of the game ticked away, Hawaii Pacific (7-3, 4-1) eventually reclaimed a double figure lead just before the final period's halfway point. The Cougars pulled within four points with 5:01 left but couldn't get their deficit within a single possession down the stretch.
