PACWEST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- Dominican won three games in Hawai`i, including a win over Hawai`i Pacific which entered the contest with a nine-game winning streak. The Penguins are now back in second place in the PacWest standings with a six-game winning streak.
Dominican opened the week with a 97-86 win over Hawai`i Pacific in which
Marisa Mondave scored 30 points off the bench, pacing a 10-for-15 effort by the team from beyond the arc. On Friday,
Natalie Diaz recorded a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to beat Chaminade, 71-57. Diaz then recorded her ninth 30-point game of the season as she went off for 33 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals against Hawai`i Hilo.
This week, Hawai`i Pacific and Azusa Pacific will meet in Azusa, California, for a game that will be streamed live on ESPN3. The Cougars are coming off a crucial win against Fresno Pacific to stay in first place in the PacWest.
Daylee Hanson tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals in the 80-57 win.
The Sharks won two of three games last week, bouncing back from the loss to Dominican with a dominant win against Academy of Art. Freshman
Amy Baum nearly had two triple-doubles, finishing an assist shy against Dominican and one rebound short against the Urban Knights. She finished the week with an incredible stat line of 50 points, 29 rebounds, 21 assists and 11 steals as she went 13 for 21 from the field in three games.
Hawai`i Hilo moved up to eighth place in the PacWest standings after picking up impressive wins against Academy of Art and Biola to double its win total in conference play this year.
Allie Navarette finished the week with 73 points, 33 rebounds, four assists and three steals in three games for the Vulcans. She had a career-high 32 points against Academy of Art on Friday, making 11 of 15 shots from the field, including both 3-point attempts. The Vulcans were able to hang with Dominican through three quarters before the Penguins pulled away with a 24-8 run in the fourth quarter.
Weekly awards based on week of Feb. 4-10
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Natalie Diaz, Dominican
G, Sr., 6-0 -- Soquel, Calif.
Diaz helped Dominican get through a difficult trip to Hawai`i unscathed as the Penguins have now won six games in a row to move into second place in the PacWest standings. The defending PacWest Player of the Year scored 76 points in three games, including 33 points against Hawai`i Hilo for her ninth 30-point game this season. Diaz scored 28 points against Hawai`i Pacific to end the Sharks’ nine-game win streak. Diaz has 571 points and 218 field goals made this season, which both rank in the top 10 in PacWest history.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Julia Locastro, Fresno Pacific
F, Sr., 6-0 -- Fresno, Calif.
Locastro has recorded a block in 15-consecutive games for the Sunbirds. After her streak on consecutive games with multiple blocks got snapped at 12, the senior set a new season high in blocks twice in a row against Notre Dame de Namur and Azusa Pacific. On Monday, Locastro tallied six blocks and added one steal as the Sunbirds held the Argonauts to just 56 points. She then notched seven blocks against the Cougars and added a second steal.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Amy Baum, Hawai`i Pacific
G, Fr., 5-7 -- Melbourne, Australia
Hawai`i Pacific won two of three games last week as Baum had one of her best weeks of her young career. The freshman was an assist away from a triple double as she finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists and six steals against Dominican. She set personal career-highs in points and rebounds in the game. She then finished one rebound away from a triple double against Academy of Art with 10 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, tying her career-high in assists.