Box Score BOX SCORE
HONOLULU, Hawai`i--UH Hilo busted open a tight game with an 18-2 run early in the second half to pull away from host Hawai`i Pacific for a 67-47 victory over the Sharks at the Shark Tank on Saturday afternoon.
The Vulcans improved to 4-1 on the year and in the Pacific West Conference. Hawai`i Pacific is now 0-3 overall and in conference play.
6-10 pivot
Sasa Vuksanovic had his fourth double-double in five games with 20 points and ten rebounds. He also had three assists, two blocks and two steals. The Serbia native had plenty of help in a team effort.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones had 15 points and seven rebounds,
Darren Williams added 14 points, five steals and four assists, and
Jordan Graves had 12 points.
The Vulcans helped forced the Sharks into 29 turnovers with 13 steals. They turned HPU miscues into 32 total points.
The two teams traded leads early. HPU led 18-15, but UHH put together a 10-0 run to take a 25-18 margin on a Vuksanovic rebound basket. Later in the half, six straight baskets by Vuksanovic made it 33-25, but the Sharks closed the half with a rush to cut the lead to 33-31. Free throws by UHH's center made it 35-31 at the half. He had 15 points and six rebounds at the break, along with two blocks and two steals.
HPU shot 60 percent from the field, including 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arch to stay in touch.
But everything changed in the second half. In the first seven minutes, the Vulcans sprinted away from their hosts with an 18-2 run. It was a joint effort with Vuksanovic, Graves, Tait-Jones and Williams all scoring during the blitz. Only a dunk by HPU's Chidozie Ndu put a halt to the run.Â
Through 15 minutes of the second half, the Vulcans shut down the Sharks by a total count 28-10. Their largest lead was 22 points before settling for the final count of 20 points. The Sharks scored just 16 points in the second half. At games end, HPU had three players with eight points, but no one in double figures.Â
The two teams will tip off again at 3 pm on Sunday at the Shark Tank.
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