IRVINE, Calif. -- Point Loma, Hawai`i Pacific and Concordia all remained undefeated in PacWest play this year in the final week of hoops before Christmas.
Point Loma and Hawai`i Pacific both won rematches of last year’s PacWest semifinals. On Monday, Hawai`i Pacific got their highest-scoring win since 2012 by beating Dominican, 103-78, for their fifth win in a row. The No. 10 team in the nation got a near triple-double from
Amy Baum with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.
The Sea Lions got a road win against Azusa Pacific, 82-77 to become the first PacWest team to five wins this season. Point Loma has now won eight in a row.
Onjalise Carley-Hilliard led all scorers in the victory with 21 points to go along with nine rebounds, one steal and one block.
Concordia won a matchup of undefeated teams in PacWest play by beating Fresno Pacific, 81-69, on Thursday.
Kennedy Fulcher finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks against the Sunbirds. Concordia also got a win over Holy Names on Saturday to improve to 5-3 overall.
Biola bounced back from its first conference loss of the season to beat Fresno Pacific at home on Saturday, 77-73.
Tatum Brimley scored 21points off the bench in the win that makes Biola 8-3 this year. The Eagles will begin the new year in Hawai`i with a game against Hawai`i Pacific on Thursday, while Fresno Pacific is on the Big Island to face Hawai`i Hilo.
Weekly awards for the week of Dec. 16-22
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Amy Baum, Hawai`i Pacific
G, So., 5-7 -- Melbourne, Australia
Baum again came within one assist of recording a triple double last week as Hawai`i Pacific defeated Dominican in a rematch of last year’s PacWest semifinals. Baum filled up the stat sheet with 13 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and five steals before fouling out in the 103-78 win. It was the Sharks’ most points in a game since February 11, 2012, which also happened to be against the Penguins. Baum’s five steals were a season high, while the nine assists tied her season her. She’s averaging 12.9 points and 7.6 rebounds.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Laura Pranger, Azusa Pacific
F, Jr., 6-2 -- Denver, Colo.
Pranger continues to lead the country in blocks this season after recording 19 blocks in three games last week. She finished the week with 47 points, 24 rebounds, 19 blocks and three steals as Azusa Pacific won two of the three games. Against Lake Superior State, Pranger finished with nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals as the Cougars held Lake Superior State to just 33 points. Pranger nearly had a triple-double against Holy Names in just 23 minutes with 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine blocks while shooting 8 for 14.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Aari’yanna Sanders, Academy of Art
F, Fr., 5-9 -- Fresno, Calif.
Sanders recorded her first career double-double on Saturday in Academy of Art’s win over Notre Dame de Namur. The freshman scored a career-high 12 points with 11 rebounds. Six of her rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor where she shot 4 for 7. She also had one assist and one steal. She finished the week with 20 points, making 8 of 13 shots. Sanders added a total of 22 rebounds in the three games, and is averaging 5.6 points and 6.0 rebounds this year.