Box Score (photo by Jay Metzger)
BOX SCORE

HONOLULU, Hawai`i--What a difference a day makes.

Less than 24 hours after giving up 97 points in a 19-point loss to Chaminade, the Hawai`i Hilo Vulcans flipped the script with a stunning 69-68 victory over the same Silverswords on Sunday afternoon at McCabe Gymnasium.

The Vulcans, who led for nearly the entire game (36:36 minutes), still had to hold on for dear life in the final moments. After Darren Williams canned two free throws with 13.7 seconds left, Chaminade countered with a three-pointer by Garrett Seagren with seven seconds left to make it a one-point game. After a pair of Vulcan free throw misses, a desperation trey at the buzzer by the Silverswords came up short.

The weekend split gives the Vulcans a 3-1 overall and Pacific West Conference record. Chaminade, ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Division II West Region, is now 1-1. 

"I was proud of our toughness level today, both mentally and physically," said Vulcan head coach Kiona Aiona. "Our game plan was to control the tempo, work together better and be more physical."

Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones led the Vulcans with 19 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals. He had six points in the final four minutes and a key blocked shot with under two minutes to play when UHH was up just one point (62-61).

Sasa Vuksanovic also had a monster game with 18 points, 13 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Williams added 10 points (5-of-6 free throws) and five assists. Isaac Amaral-Artharee led the Silverswords with 20 points.

With the win, the No. 6 (west region) Vulcans broke a five-game losing streak against the Silverswords. 

Sunday's game was different from Saturday's from the outset.

The Vulcans led for all but 53 seconds of the first half. They took a quick 8-4 lead, seven of those points by Tait-Jones. Trailing 11-10 at the first media timeout, UHH went on a 11-2 run, which included six points by Vuksanovic to take a 21-13 lead.

After the Silverswords inched to within three points again (21-18), the Vulcans answered with a 7-0 run to go up 28-18. After a Steven Hubbell three-pointer and a free throw by Tait-Jones, UHH would have its biggest lead of the half at 38-27. They would head into the locker room up 38-32 at the break.

The Vulcans hit 50 percent of their shots in the first half, nailed 4-of-9 three-pointers and converted 8-of-9 free throw attempts. Tait-Jones had 12 points and Vuksanovic had a dozen with seven rebounds. Chaminade hurt themselves with 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes.

Early in the second half, after a three-point play by Vuksanovic, UHH still led by ten points (44-34). But the Silverswords inched back, tying the game at 46-46 with ten minutes left, capping a 12-2 run. The Vulcans got the lead back after back-to-back buckets by Vuksanovic, but the teams would then trade buckets for the next eight minutes with CUH twice taking leads on treys by Kevin Kremer.

The Silverswords also led with 2:13 to play (61-60), but Williams' two free throws gave the visitors the lead back at 62-61. Next came Tait-Jones' block. On UHH's next possession, Williams worked the clock down and then dished to Hubbell in the corner who drained a three-ball to make it 65-61 with 1:19 left.

The Vulcans now had a four-point cushion to help when Amaral-Artharee scored (65-63), countered by Tait-Jones (67-63). Jessiya Villa's drive made it 67-65 with 22 seconds remaining, but Williams was fouled and converted two more opportunities with 13.7 seconds. Seagren's trey made things interesting (69-68) and got even more tight when UHH missed a pair of charity tosses with five seconds remaining. But the Vulcans smothered the Silverswords as they tried to bring the ball up the court, not allowing for a clear shot at the buzzer.

The Vulcans will return to Hilo tonight for a week of classes and practices before heading back to Oahu for a pair of games at Hawai`i Pacific next Saturday and Sunday.

"We will take Monday off, and then get back to work on Tuesday," Aiona added. "We are looking forward to getting back to work to prepare for round two against HPU."