Box Score HONOLULU – Dominican women's basketball lost a tight contest on the road Thursday, falling 76-73 to Hawaii Pacific at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
 
Junior Natalie Diaz finished with 19 points to lead the Penguins (14-7, 8-5 PacWest). Freshman Julia Razo recorded her first career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore Vanessa Cruz added nine points, five assists and five rebounds. Janessa Manzano and Alysha Marcucci each tallied 18 points to lead the Sharks (17-2, 11-1 PacWest).
 
Dominican jumped on Hawaii Pacific out of the gate as Razo gave the Penguins a 12-3 lead with a 3-pointer just past the halfway mark of the first quarter. The Sharks responded with an 11-2 run to tie it at 14-14 before junior Alanna Scott allowed Dominican to regain their lead as she knocked down a triple. Manzano hit a 3-pointer late in the quarter, tying the game at 19-19 going into the second period.
 
The game remained tight through the second quarter with both teams exchanging baskets. Razo put in a layup with less than two minutes left in the frame but Hawaii Pacific answered with seven unanswered points and the game was knotted at 34-34 going into halftime.
 
The Sharks tallied the first five points out of the break, taking a 39-34 lead. A couple of minutes later, a jumper from Diaz cut the Penguins' deficit to 41-39. Dominican was able to get the game tied at 47-47 on a free throw from freshman Sydney Larocca with just over three minutes left in the quarter. Despite falling behind again 53-48 with a minute left in the frame, the Penguins closed the quarter with a pair of free throws from Cruz, followed by two quick layups from Scott and Cruz, taking a 54-53 lead into the fourth.
 
Early in the final frame, Marcucci came up with an offensive rebound and put it back in, giving Hawaii Pacific a 60-56 advantage. Diaz followed with a put-back of her own on Dominican's next possession, keeping the Penguins close. With Dominican trailing 66-62 late in the game, Diaz appeared to have completed a 3-point play. The referees then met to discuss the call, eventually assessing Diaz with an offensive foul, her fifth of the game. With two and a half minutes left, Samantha Lambrigtsen finished a layup to put the Sharks ahead 70-64. On the Penguins' next possession, Larocca completed an and-1 to make it 70-67. Dominican kept it close but Marcucci helped seal the game with less than a minute left, putting in a layup to make it 74-68 as the Sharks went on to win their 13^th straight.
 
The Penguins held Hawaii Pacific to 36.2 percent shooting but Dominican finished with 20 turnovers and allowed 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 11 second chance points for the Sharks.
 
The Penguins take the court again Saturday at the University of Hawaii at Hilo for a 5 p.m. tip. Live stats and video will be available online.