Vulcans to host Sunbirds, Penguins in re-match games
 
Hawai`i Hilo (6-7/4-6 PWC) vs. Fresno Pacific (9-13/7-7 PWC), Thursday, Feb. 1, 5 p.m.,
Hawai`i Hilo vs. Dominican (14-6/8-4 PWC), Saturday, Feb. 3, 5 p.m.,
Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, Hilo, Hawai`i. Live Stream/Live Stats at www.hiloathletics.com
Live TV broadcast on Na Leo TV (Hilo)
 
Hilo Headlines: The Vulcans will square off against some familiar faces this week when they take on Fresno Pacific (Thursday) and Dominican (Saturday) at the Civic Auditorium. UH Hilo will be looking to revenge losses to both just a couple of weeks ago in northern California.
 
Grocery Bags and Breast Cancer: The first 100 fans through the door on Thursday will receive free Vulcan grocery bags on Sack the Sunbirds night. On Saturday, it's Play for Kay—all fans wearing pink will gain free admission as NCAA basketball teams all across the country draw attention to the fight against breast cancer.
 
Setback to the Sea Lions: UH Hilo took on a resurgent Point Loma team last Saturday (Jan. 27) to tip off the three-game homestand, with the Sea Lion winning their third game in their last four starts, 76-50. Freshman Allie Navarette led UHH with 19 points as the short-handed Vuls dropped one game under .500 (6-7) overall and to 4-6 in the Pacific West Conference.
 
Thinning of the Ranks: Already without veteran guards Kim Schmelz (2017 leading scorer) and Amber Vaugh (senior point guard), the Vulcans went up against the Sea Lions without senior long-range bomber Safia Sheikh. The BYU-Hawaii transfer, who ranks second in the PacWest in three-point accuracy (.370) and is third in treys made per game (2.8), is still day-to-day with an illness.
 
Straight Shooters: The Vulcans continue to take advantage of their free throw opportunities, swishing .746 percent, tops in the PacWest. They are also fourth in the conference in three-point accuracy (.339), and are fourth in three-point defense (.296).
 
By the Numbers: Southern California native (Torrance) Allie Navarette leads the Vulcans in scoring at 14.6 points per game and rebounding (6.8). Senior Safia Sheikh adds 13.4 points a contest and paces the Vuls in three-pointers made (34) and free throw percentage at .885 (she doesn't have enough attempts to qualify for the PacWest lead). Danielle Dacosta adds 9.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and sports the top three-point percentage (.382). Sara Shimizu leads UH Hilo in assists with 37.
 
PacWest Pace Setters: As mentioned above, Safia Sheikh is second in the PacWest in three-pointers made and third in trey percentage. Allie Navarette now leads the conference in free throw percentage (.872).
 
A Look Back: Last year the Vulcans went 8-12 in the Pacific West Conference and 8-15 overall. UH Hilo had a three-game winning streak in February at home, beating Fresno Pacific, BYU-Hawaii and Dixie State to sit at 8-9 in conference play, but dropped their final three games of the year on the road.
 
Fresno Facts: The Sunbirds took down the Vulcans 70-51 on January 13 in Fresno. The home team hit 5-of-7 three-pointers in the first ten minutes to build a lead that UHH couldn't recover from. Since then, FPU has dropped three of four contests to run to even in the PacWest at 7-7. Five players average double figure scoring for FPU, led by Bree Alvarez (13.4) and Cassie Pisik, who averages 12.9 points and 7.2 rebounds. Both had 18 points against the Vulcans last time. Despite the loss, the Vulcans still lead the all-time series between the two teams, 5-3.
 
Prose about the Penguins: Dominican, in third place in the PacWest with an 8-4 record, took down the Vulcans in the fourth game of a four-game roadie two weeks ago, 86-55. The Penguins were in the midst of a four-game win streak at the time, which was just snapped against Academy of Art. 5-11 guard Natalie Diaz is one of the top players in the conference, leading the PacWest with 24.4 points a game, and she is fourth in rebounding at 9.1. She also ranks third in the NCAA in scoring, and the Penguins are ninth in points as a team (81.5). Diaz had 22 points and four blocked shots in the Jan. 20 win over the Vulcans. With that win, Dominican improved their edge in the all-time series between the two teams, 10-7.
 
Around the Loop: With a 12-game winning streak, Hawaii Pacific holds a slim edge over Azusa Pacific in the PacWest standings. HPU is 10-1 in conference play and 16-2 overall, while the Cougars check in at 12-2 in the PWC and 21-3 on the year. Dominican is third (14-6\8-4). The PacWest does not have a team ranked in the Top 25 nationally (HPU and APU are receiving votes), but Hawai`i Pacific is No. 4 in the region and Azusa Pacific is No. 5. Dominican holds down the eighth spot. The top team in the west region is Alaska Anchorage, followed by Seattle Pacific and UC San Diego.
 
Head Coach David Kaneshiro: Vulcan head coach David Kaneshiro enters into his eighth season as the leader of the UHH program in 2017-18. In seven-plus seasons, he has a 64-76 record in the tough Pacific West Conference and is 81-105 overall. Prior to his appointment as the Vulcans leader, he was an assistant with the men's program for four seasons. He led UHH to winning seasons in 2011-12 (14-12) and 2012-13 (13-11). Prior to his arrival at Hilo, he was the head coach for three seasons Blackburn College (Ill.), where he twice won conference championships and in 2006 was named the St. Louis Athletic Conference co-coach of the year. He also spent two seasons as the head coach at Webster University (Mo.). He served one season as the lead assistant at Stanislaus State.