AZUSA, Calif.--Hawai`i Hilo drained 15 three-pointers to put themselves in upset contention, but play-off contender Azusa Pacific pulled away in the end for a 95-82 men's basketball win on Thursday night in front of 1,068 fans at the Felix Event Center.

The Cougars, who are tied for third in the Pacific West Conference, but are just one full game out of first, improved to 18-8 on the season and to 14-4 in league play. The Vulcans are now 6-18 overall and 5-12 in the PacWest.

Injuries have decimated the UH Hilo line-up this year, and they certainly were heavy underdogs tonight--playing their fourth game in six nights, and taking on a team that is ranked No. 9 in Wednesday's first official NCAA West Region poll. The top eight go to the post-season, meaning the Cougars can ill afford a stumble at this point.

But the Vulcans gave the home team all they could handle tonight, thanks to 15-of-26 marksmanship from behind the arch, and a career-high 23 points from sophomore Eric Wattree.

APU led for most of the first half, but never by more than seven points. The Vulcans began inching back, and took a 28-27 lead on a three-pointer by Ryley Callaghan with 6:46 left before the halftime break. The two teams then traded leads, with UHH holding a 40-37 margin after a Will Burghardt bucket in the paint. The Cougars then outscored their guests 7-2 to close out the half, taking a thin 44-42 margin into the locker room.

Azusa then opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 54-44 lead, but the Vulcans countered with an 11-0 blitz of their own. They took a 55-54 lead on a Randan Berinobis trey and still led 57-56 after a Callaghan lay-up with 13:33 remaining.

APU then raced away on a 14-0 run over the next four minutes and would never see the short end of the scoreboard again. The Vulcans would twice cut that margin to seven points on baskets by Burghardt, but could get no closer as the Cougars got to the free throw frequently.

When it was all said and done, the Cougar margin came at the charity stripe, where they converted 21-of-33 attempts. The Vulcans shot just eight free throws, hitting eight. APU also outrebounded the Vulcans, 40-27.

UH Hilo almost made up the deficit with the 15 treys, their second highest total this season, second to their PacWest record of 21 against Fresno Pacific. Joining Wattree in long range accuracy was Callaghan, who finished with 19 points and was five-of-eight behind the stripe and also had six assists. Burghardt hit four-of-six three's and had 16 points with five assists, while Devin Johnson did the inside work with 16 points, seven rebounds and two blocks.

Wattree, playing at his father's alma mater (Eric Sr. was a GSAC Player of the Year for APU), hit five-of-nine three-point shots.

Will Ferris led six Azusa Pacific players with 22 points.

The Vulcans will wrap up a long and draining road trip on Saturday with an afternoon encounter with Point Loma in San Diego.