HILO, Hawai'i – Basketball fans were treated to a great back-and-forth bout Wednesday night, but it was the visiting Fresno Pacific Sunbirds who managed to pull away late from the Hawai'i Hilo Women's Basketball team, 70-58, in Pacific West Conference action at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

It was a tightly-knotted contest with 12 lead changes and eight tied scores as the Sunbirds managed to inch ahead at the end of the third quarter for a 51-50 lead. FPU continued to squeak ahead, outscoring the Vulcans, 9-2, through the first three minutes of the final period.

The Vulcans had one of their better overall shooting performances, going 54.7 percent from the field up to that point, but they would hit just 3 of 9 the rest of the way as Fresno Pacific closed out the victory.

Hawai'i Hilo did most of its damage inside as it shot just 4 of 8 from beyond the arc — the lowest number of 3-pointers attempted since a Jan. 2022 matchup with Concordia University Irvine.

Keirstyn Agonias led with 15 points (7-9 FG) followed by 13 points (6-8 FG) from Fresno-native Jeniece Harmon.

UP NEXT

Hawai'i Hilo moved to an 0-2 PacWest record (2-4 overall) while Fresno Pacific moved to 3-0 in the conference (7-2 overall).

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.

The Vulcans will close out the calendar year on the road in Southern California, taking on Biola on Dec. 30.

Hawai'i Hilo and Fresno Pacific will meet again in California on Feb. 22, 2024.

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.