Mask or no mask, Sarah Toeaina is a menace for the opposition.

The Hawaii Rainbow Wahine counted on Toeaina’s 15 points in a 67-57 win over Division II neighbor Hawaii Pacific on Saturday night. UH’s nonconference finale was the guard’s first game wearing hard plastic over her face since suffering a nose injury in a loss to Oregon last week.

“A little tough, but I’d rather wear it and play (than) not wear it and not play,” said Toeaina, who shot 6-for-10 while constantly shifting the accessory between plays to see properly. “So, I’ll face it and use it the rest of the season if I have to.”

And UH (7-6) would rather have her on the court than off of it. That was underscored when the Sharks — who suited up just 10 players — smelled blood and hung around the whole way. The Wahine needed some timely buckets down the stretch from their leading scorer.

Teammates encouraged her from the bench. At one point, the mask got knocked over her eyes while she cradled the ball during play and she had to rip it off to see.

“Thank goodness Toe is so versatile and we were able to do what we were able to do,” said UH coach Laura Beeman, adding the captain’s 35 minutes were more than she wanted to play her. “For her first night out in the mask, I think she did a fantastic job.”

Julissa Tago, Tia Kanoa and Lahni Salanoa added 10 points apiece for UH, which shot just 38.6 percent but won the rebounding battle by 15.

The Wahine, who were coming off back-to-back losses of more than 40 points to ranked foes in Las Vegas, led by just three points at halftime and five points after three quarters. Beeman noted some players were feeling unwell coming back from the holiday trip.

“It’s good and bad,” Beeman said of the close outcome, noting HPU’s effective offensive execution and ability to find weaknesses. “I would’ve liked to pull away, for sure. But the way we had choppy lineups. … I wanted a win tonight. And that was a great game for us going into conference. We had to grind it out, play through some pressure. Had to play a really good team.”

UH begins Big West play at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday.

“We still have a lot of room to grow. I think that’s the beauty of it,” guard Tago said. “It was a good win — a win is a win. But we still know we have a lot more to work on.”

HPU (8-2) — which used the game as an exhibition while it officially counted for UH — sank five straight field goals and tied it at 42 on a jumper by Gabriella Fotu late in the third quarter. It was tied for the last time at 44 on a layup by the Sharks’ Janessa Manzano, as UH scored the last five points of the period.

Rachel Odumu’s free throw extended it back to double digits early in the fourth.

“We’ve played against some good D-II teams this year. It’s helped us prepare for a really good team like the University of Hawaii,” HPU coach Reid Takatsuka said. “The moment wasn’t too big.

“I think our kids showed great resolve in facing the challenge. The Big Cheese.”

Samantha Lambrigtsen led the Sharks with 14 points.

Mackenzie Clinch Hoycard, a 6-foot-3 freshman post, made her UH season debut coming off an injury and played one minute.