HILO, Hawai'i – Sometimes it's not the destination, but the journey along the way, and Monday night, the Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball team had its cake and ate it too with an explosive 71-57 victory over Pacific West Conference newcomer Westmont at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
After trailing with a short leash for much of the opening half, the Vulcans exploded for a 23-5 scoring run starting at the 4:24 mark of the first half and continuing all the way through the first five minutes of play in the second half. During that span, the Vulcans went 10 of 14 from the field while the Warriors made just two baskets in 12 attempts — seven of those were from beyond the arc.
A subsequent Westmont 3-pointer briefly dropped the Vulcans' lead to nine points, but Nadjrick Peat closed out his electrifying showcase of offense with his fourth dunk of the evening to up the lead back to double digits as Hawai'i Hilo continued to stack the points and the lead all the way through to victory.
"Defense was the key tonight. We were able to throw off their timing and rhythm on the offensive end. Those first three media timeouts were tight but we ended the half strong," Hawai'i Hilo fourth-year head coach Kaniela Aiona said. "The guys did a great job coming out of halftime locked in and ready to play. We try to remind our team to just focus on process and not worry about the end-result of the game. It just helps us keep the mentality of playing the next play and staying present. The guys did the job."
Westmont had its second-lowest shooting output of the season thus far (.379) and also matched a season-high 15 turnovers.
On the other end, the Vulcans posted their highest shooting percentage of the season (.534) as Carlos Ramsey Jr. led with 17 points. Hawai'i Hilo also took its fewest number of attempts both at the free-throw line (5 of 8) and from around the perimeter (4 of 10).
Peat had his first double-double of the season with 13 points (6-7 FG) and 10 rebounds.
Kalique Mitchell also totaled double-digit scoring figures with 15 points on seven boards and three steals.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to a 2-0 PacWest record (6-2 overall) while Westmont moved to 1-2 in the conference (4-5 overall).
The Vulcans will be back in action Wednesday, Dec. 6 taking on Fresno Pacific in another doubleheader.
The Big Island Holiday Classic returns for another year, Dec. 15-19, at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium. Hawai'i Hilo will take on Angelo State (Dec. 16) and Bridgewater State (Dec. 17). More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/BIC.
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.
