HILO, Hawai'i – Alaska's Paul Johnson managed to hit from long range with 26 seconds left in overtime to put the Nanooks over the Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball team, 64-61, Sunday afternoon as part of the Big Island Holiday Classic at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
Both teams added on eight points each through the first three and a half minutes of the extra period, capped by Charles Elzie III's pull-up jumper from about 17 feet out to make it a 61-61 ballgame. After trading empty possessions — UAF went 0 of 2 at the free throw line; UHH turned the ball over on a travel violation — Alaska's Jaycson Bereal Jr. kicked the ball out to Johnson at the right corner for the go-ahead score.
Hawai'i Hilo called a timeout with 16 seconds and subbed in Jake Kosakowski for his first action in the overtime period as his contested long-range attempt fell empty.
The Vulcans trailed by as much as 10 points through the early part of the second half, but they slowly chipped away and gained a 42-41 lead on a Zoar Nedd 3-pointer near the midway mark of the period. After trading a few leads, Kalique Mitchell's back-end free throw made it a 53-52 advantage with just over a minute remaining.
With seconds remaining, UAF's Abdullahi Mohamed went 1 of 2 at the free throw line to send the game into overtime.
Sunday's matchup was Alaska assistant coach Drew Hedman's first game/win as the Nanooks' acting head coach, in place of Greg Sparling.
Mitchell led the Vulcans with 16 points (5-8 FG) and eight rebounds as Elzie followed with 13 points and three steals.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to a 7-3 overall record (3-0 Pacific West Conference) while Alaska moved to 3-6 (1-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference).
Big Island Holiday Classic action continues at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium with the Vulcans taking on Hastings Monday evening at 6 p.m. then following against San Francisco State Tuesday afternoon at 6 p.m. More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/BIC.
Hawai'i Hilo returns to PacWest action and closes out the calendar year on the road in Southern California against Biola (Dec. 30).
BIG ISLAND HOLIDAY CLASSIC
Winter 2022 marked the return of the Big Island Holiday Classic, bringing many men's and women's collegiate basketball programs to the Big Island of Hawai'i for competition and fun at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The event, put on by TItleTown Events (previously Malika Sport Tours) and hosted by the University of Hawai'i at Hilo, is a modern reiteration of the Big Island Invitational Tournament from the 1990s, which featured many NCAA Division I programs with the likes of Oklahoma, Oregon State, Iowa State, Arkansas, Creighton, Purdue, Stanford and UConn among others.
The Big Island Classic moniker was also previously resurrected in winter 2016 when current Hawai'i Hilo men's basketball head coach Kaniela Aiona was at the helm of the Menlo College men's hoops program where they played games at Kealakehe High School on the west side of the island.
SEASON TICKETS
Single-game and season tickets are now available to be purchased online through Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans Athletics' recently launched online ticket platform in partnership with AudienceView Campus.
The 2023-24 slate will feature 28 total home contests at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium with a package price of $130 for adults and $65 for seniors (ages 65-plus) and middle/high school students.
Both can be accessed at HiloAthletics.com/tickets.
VIDEO STREAM PACKAGES
The Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball team will have 14 home games available to be viewed online through our video stream broadcasts in partnership with Out of the Sea Media Arts Inc.
Single-game viewing will be priced at $10 with a season-package offering of $105.
More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/LiveStream.
