Box Score BOX SCORE
photo by Jay Metzger

HONOLULU, Hawai`i--Hawai`i Hilo took an early lead and built on it throughout the game to pick up their first win of the season with a 56-39 victory over Chaminade on Saturday afternoon at McCabe Gymnasium.

The Vulcans are 1-2 overall and in the Pacific West Conference. It was the first official game of the year for the young Silverswords. The two teams will square off again tomorrow (Sunday), with tip-off slated for noon.

Kim Schmelz led UH Hilo with 14 points, including their first six counters of the game. She also had six rebounds. Mandi Kawaha added 11 points and four assists and Jenna Waki also reached double figures with 10 points. The Vulcans led by two points after the end of the first quarter, by five at halftime, by ten at the end of the third period and 17 (their largest) at game's end.

Arianna Blowe led the Silverswords with 14 points and nine rebounds, but the Silverswords shot just 24 percent from the field in their season opener.

The Vulcans got off to a hot start after trailing briefly at 2-1. They would go on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes, with Schmelz scoring the first six Vulcan points to lead 11-4. They only trailed once in the first quarter (for 14 seconds), taking a 15-13 lead in the second period.

The two squads traded baskets for the first four minutes of the second quarter, and Chaminade took just their second lead of the game on Emma Morris' trey with six minutes left before half (20-19). But the Vulcans outscored their hosts 8-2 the rest of the period to take a 27-22 lead into the break. Seven different Vulcans scored in the first half and they had the lead for all but two possessions.

The Vulcans scored the first two baskets of the third quarter to take a 31-22 margin, and would push that to 36-25 after Waki's driving lay up via the baseline. No one scored over the final 3:30 of the period until Kawaha's slice through the middle for a basket right before the end of the period to make it 40-30.

UHH outscored CUH 16-9 in the fourth, despite their two inside players saddled with four fouls each (Malia Lee and Bree Olson). 

Both teams will have a short turnaround in the 2021 PacWest format, with tip-off on Sunday less than 24 hours away.