MONMOUTH, Ore.--Kupaa Harrison scored 25 points, 19 of them in the first half, helping to lead the Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans to a 74-69 season-opening victory over Concordia (Ore.) on Friday night at the New PE Building.

The hard-fought victory allows the Vulcans to begin the year 1-0, while Concordia falls to 0-3. UH Hilo will play host and regional power Western Oregon on Saturday night at 7 pm (5 pm Hawaii time).

"It wasn't pretty and we struggled in some areas, but it is certainly nice to begin 1-0," Vulcan head coach GE Coleman said after the game. "We got good play from our bench, our pressure on defense was solid and Kupaa was what I expected him to be. I believe him to be one of the best players in our league."

Harrison, a senior wing, connected on 10 of 17 shots from the field, had eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. In his fiery first half, he only missed three shots on his way to 19 points.

Nonetheless, the Vulcans battled back from behind most of the first 20 minutes. They trailed by as many as eight points before making a torrid run towards the end of the half. When Harrison fed Sasa Vuksanovic with a pass inside that he converted with just seconds left, UHH went into the locker room with a 36-34 halftime lead.

The Vulcans pushed that margin to 51-41 with just over 13 minutes remaining, but the Cavaliers battled back to tie it at 57-57 on a Xavier Smith basket with 6:10 left. From there, the teams traded baskets, with UHH taking the first two-possession lead with 2:10 remaining on pretty Vuksanovic basket in the paint. The Vulcans wouldn't trail again, with Jordan Graves nailing two clinching free throws with seven seconds left for the final 74-69 tally.

Vuksanovic, a 6-foot-9 junior post (Serbia/Sheridan College) finished with 16 points and six rebounds in his Vulcan debut. Graves had 12, along with three assists and two steals. 

6-foot-7 post Dakota Ayala led the Cavaliers with 23 points and eight rebounds. before fouling out late in the game.

"We will sometimes struggle on offense until we figure some things out," Coleman added. "I liked that we forced them into 22 turnovers. Koop (Harrison) is so skilled offensively, and if he gets the right match-up he is a load to handle.

"But we will have to play better tomorrow night," the seventh-year coach continued. "Western Oregon is probably the premier team in the GNAC the last few years, and maybe the west region. We will have our hands full for sure."