HONOLULU, Hawai`i—A valiant second half comeback came up just one shot short as Hawai`i Hilo dropped a 66-64 verdict to Alaska Anchorage at the D2 Power Invitational at the Hawai`i Convention Center on Saturday afternoon.

Down by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Vulcans rallied and traded baskets with the Seawolves for the final eight minutes of the game. UHH had the final possession, but Elisha Duplechan's long jumper came up short as the Seawolves exhaled and left the court with the win.

Alaska Anchorage improved to 9-4 with the victory, while the Vulcans will head into the holiday break with a 3-5 mark.

Kupaa Harrison had a career-high 30 points for the Vulcans, 19 of those coming during the second half comeback. Duplechan added 19 points, one night after scoring 21 in a win over Saint Martin's.

6-foot-7 center Oggie Pantovic had 22 points and nine rebounds to lead the Seawolves of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

UAA went on a 12-0 run early in the game to take control of the first half. They never trailed in the first 20 minutes after that, twice leading by 13 points. A coast-to-coast basket by Duplechan at the halftime buzzer sent both teams to the locker room with a 36-26 Seawolves lead.

The Vulcans shot just 36 percent from the floor in the first half, but were kept close by Harrison's 7-for-8 marksmanship at the free throw line. Pantovic, matched up with fellow Serbian Sasa Vuksanovic, had 15 points and six boards in the first half.

But the momentum shifted in the second half. Harrison, playing in front of family in friends on his native island of Oahu, scored eight points in the first four minutes of the second half to spur a 12-5 Vulcan run. A steal by Harrison and basket by Tom Power cut the lead to one point (41-40) just five minutes into the second half.

UAA answered with an 8-0 run, but three straight scores by the 6-foot-5 Harrison pulled UHH to within two points (49-47), and a Duplechan 15-foot jumper on a fast break tied it at 49-49 with eight minutes left.

No one led by more than three points the rest of the way. UH Hilo took its first lead on a three-pointer from the top of the key by Elisha's brother Isaiah Duplechan (54-53) with 4:52 remaining. Back and forth the two teams went, with a Harrison swish giving the Vulcans a 62-61 lead with 2:40 left.

But UAA scored the next two baskets, including one by Pantovic to take a 65-62 lead. Two free throws by Harrison with 1:28 on the clock cut the Seawolves lead to 65-64, but the Vulcans wouldn't find the basket again. Harrison had a rare miss at 40 seconds, but a blocked shot and rebound by Power gave the ball back to the Vulcans for one final shot.

UHH worked the clock down and called timeout with 9.5 seconds left. Duplechan had the ball and tried to work a play with Harrison, but ended up having to hoist a desperation three that came up short as time expired.

After a cool first half, the Vulcans shot 50 percent in the second. They outscored the Seawolves after the break, 38-30. But they hit just 2-of-10 three-point attempts and were out-boarded 37-27.

Harrison connected on 14-of-17 free throw attempts and also had six rebounds.  Tyler Brimhall had a double-double for UAA with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Vulcans played most of the game without senior guard Jordan Graves, who was injured in the first half.

When the calendar turns to 2020, the Vulcans will head into Pacific West Conference play only. They kick off January with a five-game homestand, starting on the 2^nd with a 7:30 pm match-up with Fresno Pacific at the Civic Auditorium.