IRVINE, California – Hot out the gates of the second half, the Vulcans nearly doubled up on the Golden Eagles while finishing strong to fend off Concordia University Irvine, 67-63, Saturday evening in Pacific West Conference play at the CU Arena.
Facing a five-point deficit at halftime, Hawai'i Hilo shot 60.0 percent (9 of 15) from the field in the third quarter and out-scored CUI, 11-2, in the final three-plus minutes to take a four-point advantage into the final period.
The Vulcans stood strong and never relinquished their lead as they held a 4-1 turnover advantage and matched the Golden Eagles with 20 points apiece.
Eight of Hawai'i Hilo's last 10 points in the final two minutes came via free throws as Mandi Kawaha iced the game by sinking seven shots from the charity stripe.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Mandi Kawaha led the Vulcans with 23 points along with six rebounds and three steals.
- Bree Olson totaled her seventh career double-double by matching a career-high 17 rebounds to go along with 11 points.
- Freshman Kaile Cruz posted one of her more efficient shooting games, going 4 for 5 from the field with a 3-pointer to total nine points and four boards off the bench.
- The Golden Eagles were led by Jasmine Rachal (21), Erika Maggard (19) and Katie Timmerman (12) in the scoring column with each reaching double-digit figures.
WHAT'S NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo improved to 10-14 overall, 7-11 PacWest while CUI moved to a 12-5 PacWest record (15-8 overall).
The Vulcans will continue on the road with their season-ending slate against Biola (11-7 PacWest) on Feb. 21 and Point Loma Nazarene (12-7 PacWest) on Feb. 23.
The six-team PacWest Championships postseason tournament runs March 2-4 at Chaminade University of Honolulu and includes Azusa Pacific, Dominican, CUI, HPU, PLNU and Biola.
