IRVINE, Calif. -- Hawai`i Pacific remained undefeated on the season against NCAA West Region teams by recording wins last week against Biola and Fresno Pacific to improve to 11-1 this season.
Against Biola,
Starr Rivera made a 3-pointer in the final seconds to give the Sharks a 58-57 victory after Biola had led by three in the final minute.
Abbey Noblett scored 14 points with 11 rebounds in the win.
The Sharks then beat Fresno Pacific, 75-55, for their seventh-consecutive win.
Amy Baum finished the game with 11 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, while
Ally Bates had 10 points, nine assists and eight rebounds off the bench.
Jerusha Paine helped Dominican get its second conference win by beating Holy Names. The senior tallied 44 points, 14 rebounds and four steals just after having scored 33 points in the previous game against Academy of Art on 15-for-21 shooting.
The Urban Knights gave Concordia its first PacWest loss of the season.
Tayler Bennett scored 24 points in that victory, which was actually her least points in any game of the week. She also scored 39 points against Azusa Pacific and made a total of 19 triples on the week.
Hawai`i Hilo handed Point Loma its first loss of the season on Saturday night as
Allie Navarette scored 19 points with 13 rebounds. This week, Point Loma will play at Hawai`i Pacific and Concordia will visit Azusa Pacific. On Saturday, Biola will host Academy of Art.
Weekly awards for the week of Dec. 30-Jan. 5
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Pam Wilmore, Academy of Art
G, Jr., 5-6 -- Las Vegas
Wilmore led Academy of Art to a pair of high-scoring wins in the first week back from Christmas break as the Urban Knights got back to the .500 mark. She opened the week with an 8-for-12 shooting performance against Dominican. She added eight assists and five steals in the victory. Against Azusa Pacific, Willmore recorded 15 assists with nine rebounds and three steals. Then against Concordia, the junior from Las Vegas scored a season-high 24 points with eight assists and eight rebounds in the victory.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Michaela VanderKlugt, Concordia
C, Jr., 6-1 -- Antioch, Calif.
VanderKlugt recorded 34 rebounds last week as Concordia split its results against Notre Dame de Namur and Academy of Art to become 4-1 in PacWest play. She also had two blocks on the week. Against Academy of Art, VanderKlugt recorded 34 points, 24 rebounds, four assists and a block in 44 minutes. She made 15 of 23 shots for the Eagles, which are now in third place in the PacWest standings. The junior has scored 34 points in two of her last three games and has made 5 of her last 8 shots from three.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Aari’yanna Sanders, Academy of Art
F, Fr., 5-9 -- Fresno, Calif.
Sanders earned a second-consecutive Freshman of the Week award after recording her second double-double. She scored in double figures in both of the Urban Knights’ wins last week. She made 4 of 5 shots from the field for 10 points with seven rebounds and five steals against Dominican. She then had 16 points, 11 rebounds and three steals in the win against Concordia, making 7 of 11 field-goal attempts. Sanders is averaging 6.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.