SAN DIEGO - Junior Morgan scored 20 points to lead four Sea Lions in double-figures but it was not enough to overcome the high powered offense of Hawaii Pacific as PLNU fell 79-75 on Thursday, Feb. 12.
 
The loss snaps the Sea Lions' (18-6, 11-6 PacWest) five-game winning streak. It also ended Hawaii Pacific's (14-8, 9-7 PacWest) three-game losing skid.
 
Morgan went 7-of-12 from the field and also grabbed eight rebounds. Hayden Lescault added 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Sam Okhotin also chipped in with 15, while Marek Klassen added 10. Klassen and Judd Welfringer each had six assists to pace Point Loma.
 
HPU's Justin Long had 14 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, including hitting four 3-pointers. Darry Jones Jr. and Luke Hager added 17 points apiece.
 
For just the third time this season the Sea Lions were outscored from behind the arc. Hawaii Pacific hit 14-of-28 3-pointers while PLNU was 9-of-21. The Sharks also took advantage of their multitude of trips to the free throw line by making as many free throws (23-of-32) as the Sea Lions attempted in the game.
 
"We didn't very good job guarding the 3-point line tonight," said PLNU head coach Bill Carr. "They shot it great and by the time we made the adjustments it was too late."
 
PLNU came back from a 40-34 halftime deficit to take a 59-58 lead with 7:13 remaining. HPU answered with a 12-4 run and Point Loma was once again forced into comeback mode. The Sea Lions were down by six with 30 seconds left but Okhotin hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead in half. After HPU went 1-of-2 at the free throw line, Lescault hit a driving layup to make it 77-75 with 14 seconds left. Once again PLNU fouled and HPU hit 1-of-2, giving the Sea Lions a chance to tie. PLNU ran a weave play for Klassen who got the ball on the wing for a deep 3-pointer, but the shot skipped off rim and HPU collected the rebound to win the game.
 
"Hawaii Pacific played great tonight," Carr added. "They came in with a lot of energy and passion, and took it to us."
 
Point Loma will return to the court on Saturday, Feb. 14 to face PacWest leaders and No. 13 BYU-Hawaii at 4:00 p.m.
 
"You have to have a short memory and a little amnesia to get ready for practice tomorrow and prepare yourself to win on Saturday," Carr concluded.