HONOLULU, Hawai'i– The UH Hilo men's basketball team came back from behind to top Chaminade 75-68 in the McCabe Gymnasium.
"Our guys found a way to win," said head coach Kaniela Aiona. "Chaminade's a really good team and I'm proud of how our guys played together. All 11 got in there and gave something tonight."
The Vulcans, picking up a modest two-game winning streak, rise 12-9 overall and 8-6 in the PacWest Conference while the Silverswords fall 8-14 and 6-10 in the PacWest.
The lead changed seven times and the score was tied up twice in the first 14 minutes of the half. The Silverswords snagged the first lead that they solely held for the first 12 minutes of the game until the Vulcans found their legs.
UHH surpassed CUH with 6:35 remaining in the half that they stretched to a nine-point advantage heading into halftime (37-28).
From there the Vulcans only improved, never letting up the lead again and distanced themselves by as much as 14 points before Chaminade began to recover. The Silverswords got a burst of energy toward the end, trimming UH Hilo's lead to just two treys before the Vulcans pulled away with the 75-68 victory.
Sharing the Ball…UHH did a great job of sharing the ball. Four Vulcans scored in the double digits including Max Kunnert 15, Donald McHenry 14, Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones 14, and Kameron Ng 13.
Successful Free Throws…The Vulcans capitalized on free throw opportunities, shooting a successful 74 percent. Kunnert and Kia`i Apele were 2-for-2, McHenry 4-for-5, Williams 1-for-2, and Tait-Jones 8-for-11.
Forcing Turnovers…UH Hilo had a presence on defense, totaling 13 steals and one block that caused 19 CUH turnovers while UHH only gave up nine. The Vulcans cashed in 19 points off turnovers to the Silverswords eight.
Vulcan Leaders…POINTS: Kunnert 15, McHenry & Tait-Jones 14, Ng 13; ASSISTS: Williams & Tait Jones 4; REBOUNDS: Erik Borg & Tait-Jones 5, Payton Grant & Ng 4, Williams & Kunnert 3; STEALS: Williams 3, Jamie Strong, Kunnert, McHenry 2; BLOCKS: Ng 1.
Up Next…The Vulcans will hit the road, traveling to Northern California where they will face Academy of Art, Holy Names, Fresno Pacific, and Dominican. First game is Sunday, Feb. 13 against ART U at 1:30pm HST where no general admission spectators will be allowed.
