For just the second time in school history, the Hawaii Hilo woman’s basketball team took down in-state rival Hawaii Pacific in a 73-50 conference victory at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium on Sunday.
The Vulcans (4-2, 2-1 PacWest Conference) beat the Sharks (4-4, 1-2) for the first time since Jan. 3, 2012, a 53-50 victory at Blaisdell Arena, snapping HPU’s 25-game win streak over UHH.
UH Hilo was led by Mandi Kawaha, who posted a game-high 15 points. Nikki Miller added a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sara Shimizu matched Miller with 12 points. Meanwhile, Hawaii Pacific was led by Avery Cargill’s 12 points.
After opening the game on a 9-2 run, Hawaii Hilo enjoyed a wire-to-wire victory. The Vulcans held the Sharks to a season-low 24% from the field (24 of 58). HPU also shot just 17% from beyond the arc. Conversely, UHH hit on 40% (23-for-58) of their shots, and knocked down 33% from the 3-point line.
Hawaii Hilo return to action on Tuesday, hosting No. 7 Alaska Anchorage at The Shark Tank at 4:30 p.m. Hawaii Hilo will enjoy a week off, before hosting the Nanooks on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
Hawaii Hilo men down Hawaii Pacific
The Hawaii Hilo men’s basketball team claimed a 79-67 conference victory over visiting Hawaii Pacific at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium on Sunday.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones led Hawaii Hilo (6-4, 2-1 PacWest) with 21 points. Donald McHenry (16), Darren Williams (14), and Max Kunnert (12) were the other double-digit scorers for the Vulcans. Colton Martin led the Sharks (3-5, 0-3) with 13 points, while Rodney Hounshell added 10 points.
After battling early in the game, UHH pulled away with a 10-0 run midway through the first half, taking a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game. The Vulcans rolled to a 40-25 advantage at the end of the first half. The Sharks twice cut the Vulcan lead to single digits in the second half, but Hawaii Hilo pulled away each time to hold off Hawaii Pacific.
HPU will turn its attention to hosting the Hoops-In-Hawaii Holiday Classic. The Sharks will meet NAIA No. 22 Xavier (La.) on Friday, before taking on D-II No. 16 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Saturday. Both games will tip-off at 8 p.m. Hawaii Hilo will have a three-week break, before heading to Oahu for another matchup with Hawaii Pacific at the Shark Tank on Dec. 30. Tip-off will be at 6:30 p.m.
