SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Hawai`i Pacific defended its PacWest Championships title, winning the tournament for a record third time as a program with a 75-68 victory over Azusa Pacific on Saturday in the Conlan Center.
BOX SCORE
The No. 3-seeded Sharks entered the tournament needing to win the title in order to keep their season alive and qualify for the NCAA West Regional. They did just that by taking out No. 6 Concordia, No. 2 Dominican and No. 1 Azusa Pacific on three-consecutive nights.
Breanna Mackenzie scored 54 points in the tournament, which is tied for second-most in tournament history, to earn recognition as the Most Outstanding Player.
PacWest Freshman of the Year
Amy Baum single-handedly went on an 8-0 run that was part of a larger 12-0 run for Hawai`i Pacific to take control of the championship game. A jumper by All-Tournament selection
Alysha Marcucci completed the run and gave the Sharks a 22-10 run that lasted for the rest of the game.
Azusa Pacific pulled within four points in the third quarter on a jumper by
Savanna Hanson, who was also named to the all-tournament team, but that was the closest Azusa Pacific got for the rest of the game. Baum scored seven of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter to help Hawai`i Pacific protect its lead and claim the title.
With the win, Hawai`i Pacific improves to 23-8 on the season, having won each of their last five games. The Sharks earned the PacWest’s automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA West Regional, which will likely be played in La Jolla, California. Azusa Pacific is now 25-5 on the season. The Cougars will find out where they are seeded in the NCAA West Regional on Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show.
Baum made 6 of 15 shots and had seven rebounds. With foul trouble and injuries affecting several of the Sharks’ starting players,
Starr Rivera played an important role off the bench in the victory. She played 34 minutes and recorded 14 points and three rebounds.
Alysha Marcucci was named to the all-tournament team after scoring 16 points in the final.
Daylee Hanson led the Azusa Pacific offense with 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and two steals. Savanna Hanson registered a 18-point, 12-rebound double-double, while
Laura Panger added 11 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and four steals to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Pranger finished the tournament with 11 blocks, which is the second most by a single player in the history of the PacWest Championships.
2019 PACWEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
Most Outstanding Player
Breanna Mackenzie, Hawai`i Pacific
All-Tournament Team
Amy Baum, Hawai`i Pacific
Savanna Hanson, Azusa Pacific
Cara Liggins, Point Loma
Alysha Marcucci, Hawai`i Pacific
Laura Pranger, Azusa Pacific