HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Charles Elzie III splashed a go-ahead 3-pointer with just over a minute left in overtime, but the Sharks squeezed through the final six points as the Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball team fell to HPU, 69-66, Saturday afternoon in Pacific West Conference action at The Shark Tank.
On the ensuing possession, HPU's Charlie Weber managed to get a hook shot to fall to make it just a one-point lead for Hawai'i Hilo. Elzie came right back with a pull-up jumper attempt from the elbow but came up empty as the Vulcans fouled on the battle for the rebound to send HPU to the charity stripe. Dominque Winbush sank both free throws to give himself 20 points and the Sharks a one-point advantage.
Coming out of a timeout with 11.2 seconds remaining, Elzie raced down the court and quickly sliced through the defense for a good look inside the paint, but the ball couldn't find its way in the basket, forcing the Vulcans to foul with 2.7 seconds left.
Two free throws pushed HPU's lead to 69-66 and Hawai'i Hilo's down-court inbound attempt sailed out of bounds. Jarin Edwards snatched HPU's final inbound pass and quickly flipped the ball to Elzie for the three-quarter-court Hail Mary shot as the Sharks survived with the win.
Saturday's contest had all the makings for being decided in an overtime thriller as both teams traded 20 lead changes through 10 ties in regulation.
With time winding down in the second half, Elzie provided the heroics with a game-tying tear drop between three HPU defenders with 1:03 to go. On the other end, Elzie stood strong to contest Winbush's inside shot attempt with 30 ticks remaining, but the Vulcans were unable to get a final shot off, turning the ball over as HPU's final half-court heave came up empty to send the game to the extra period.
Charles Elzie III finished with 13 points and five assists as Nadjrick Peat came away with an eye-popping 17 rebounds to go along with three blocks and six points.
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to an 11-8 overall record (5-5 PacWest) while HPU moved to 5-3 in conference play (10-6 overall). The two teams will meet again March 2 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The Vulcans return for five more contests at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, hosting Point Loma (Jan. 23), Azusa Pacific (Jan. 27), Chaminade (Feb. 3), Biola (Feb. 8) and Concordia University Irvine (Feb. 10).
Next Tuesday's matchup will be Rally Towel Giveaway night to the first 300 fans. Halftime prizes will also be on the line courtesy of Orchid Isle Ford.
PATH TO PACWEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
The top six teams at the end of the regular season will make it to San Diego for the 2023-24 PacWest Conference Tournament set for March 7-9 at Point Loma's Golden Gymnasium.
Hawai'i Hilo sits at No. 8 while HPU is at No. 3.
Academy of Art is at the top with an 8-2 record.
PACWEST HAWAI'I CHALLENGE
In an effort to elevate Hawai'i-based rivalries, the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge has awarded the top school in athletics competition among the state's Division II institutions going back to the late 1970s.
Comprising 10 sports that all three schools participate in, points are awarded from head-to-head Pacific West Conference matchups as well as final placements at conference-ending championship events. The team with the highest total gets three points while the second highest gets two and the third-place finisher receives one.
At the end of the fall 2023 season, Chaminade held a one-point lead as Hawai'i Hilo and HPU finished tied with a score of eight.
