BILLINGS, Montana – Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball continued its season-opening road trip with the first of two PacWest-GNAC Crossover contests, taking on Saint Martin's in an early-season rematch with the Saints managing to go 2-0 against the Vulcans with a 74-69 victory Friday evening at Montana State Billings' Alterowitz Gymnasium.
The Vulcans nearly overcame a double-digit hole using a late-game 14-6 scoring rally to make what was once a 16-point deficit to just a single-possession contest with less than a minute remaining. SMU made just one basket through the final five minutes of action while Hawai'i Hilo surged for four field goals and three takeaways.
With just a three-point difference with 20 ticks to go, the Saints managed to hit back-to-back free throws and the Vulcans came up empty on the subsequent possession to seal the final score.
John Davis III and Julio Montes II each posted 14 points and combined for five steals. Andre Norris tallied a season-high six steals, tying eight other individual performances for second-most by a Vulcan in a single-game. Hawai'i Hilo's 14 team takeaways matched two other single-game totals for seventh most. Despite having more than twice the number of steals, the Vulcans could only convert for an 18-11 points-off-turnovers advantage.
Hawai'i Hilo moved to a 2-2 record (0-0 PacWest) as Saint Martin's moved to 4-0 (0-0 GNAC). It was the second meeting between the two teams in as many days, having just met up at the CCA Canadian Tip-Off Classic last Sunday.
OTHER NOTES
- Saint Martin's went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc during the final 10 minutes of the first half. The Saints finished 13 of 32 (.406) on 3-pointers — the most surrendered by the Vulcans since allowing the same amount three times during the 2022-23 season.
- SMU's Myles Samuels (6-10 FG, 5-8 3PT) and Diego Trejo-Delgado (7-12 FG, 3-5 3PT) combined for 38 points.
SAINT MARTIN'S UNIVERSITY SAINTS
- NCAA Division II - Great Northwest Athletic Conference
- Campus Location: Lacey, Washington
- Head Coach: Aaron London (Sixth Season)
- Incoming Record: 3-0 Overall (0-0 GNAC)
- Preseason Poll: No. 4 GNAC
- 2023-24 Season: 24-12 Record (12-6 Big Sky)
UP NEXT: PacWest-GNAC Crossover – Saturday, Nov. 9 (4:15 PM / 7:15 PM MT) vs Montana State Billings (Billings, Montana / Alterowitz Gymnasium)
SEASON TICKETS: Now on sale at HiloAthletics.com/tickets, featuring 14 men's and 17 women's home events at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
SEASON PPV PACKAGES: Season package for 14 Vulcans Men's Basketball home broadcasts through the PacWest Network, powered by Hudl TV are now available.
