SAN DIEGO, California – It was the rubber match of the season between the Vulcans and Eagles, and this time when it mattered the most, the Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball team leaped past Biola, 84-72, in Thursday's First Round of the Pacific West Conference Championship postseason tournament at Point Loma's Golden Gymnasium.
Although the final digits on the scoreboard reflected just a 12-point differential, the Vulcans controlled most of this contest after a huge first half that saw the fifth-seeded team take a 39-18 lead into halftime. A 12-0 run with under 10 minutes to go in the first half followed by an 8-3 run in the final minutes helped propel Hawai'i Hilo to take a 21-point advantage into the break.
Charles Elzie III exploded for 14 of his 21 total points in the second half, finishing 8 of 12 (.667) from the field and 5 of 8 at the free throw line coming off the bench for the first time this season. Elzie had missed the Vulcans' regular-season finale due to the recent passing of his mother Dana.
"He played with a lot of heart and courage today," fourth-year Vulcans head coach Kaniela Aiona said. "He was on another level today. He was playing for something bigger than himself in basketball. Really proud of how he showed up. He's a good one."
While Biola managed to come away with just seven turnovers to Hawai'i Hilo's 13, the Vulcans dominated with 42 rebounds, a .536 shooting percentage and a .500 clip from beyond the arc.
"A 100 percent team win. [Nadjrick Peat and Kalique Mitchell] held down the the glass tonight ... and they did that the last game of the regular season too so something that they have in them and they're finding themselves there," Aiona said. "They've been big all year with that, and Kalique gets us to the free throw line and that's such a common thing for us. If Nadjrick gets any space around the rim, he's going to dunk it. For guys to step up, knock down those open threes that they got, that's icing."
Playing without leading scorer and All-PacWest Second Team selection Carlos Ramsey Jr., fellow second teamer Kalique Mitchell led the way for the Vulcans with 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Jake Kosakowski splashed four 3-pointers, going 5 of 8 from the field for 14 points as Nadjrick Peat tallied three blocks, 11 rebounds and 12 points for a consecutive double-double (fourth of the season).
"Carlos hurt his ankle in warm-ups and obviously he's an All-Conference guy and intrical part of this team," Aiona said. "It's a team win. Team's made up of great individuals."
For Biola, Tyus Parrish Tillman and Daniel Esparaza combined for 44 points on a .551 shooting clip, but both were held to just six points each in the opening half of play.
The two teams had split the regular-season series with the Vulcans falling on a last-second buzzer beater in La Mirada at the end of December followed by a four-point victory on the Big Island in early February.
This season marks the third consecutive year of qualifying for the postseason conference tournament since its inception in 2013. It is also the Vulcans' first win in PacWest Championships play. Hawai'i Hilo also matched up with Biola in the opening round of the postseason tournament last year.
THURSDAY, MARCH 7 - FIRST ROUND
» #3 HPU [55] vs #6 Azusa Pacific [56]
» #4 Biola [72] vs #5 Hawai'i Hilo [84]
FRIDAY, MARCH 8 - SEMIFINAL ROUND
» 10:30 AM / 12:30 PM PT: #2 Academy of Art vs #6 Azusa Pacific
» 12:45 PM / 2:45 PM PT: #1 Point Loma vs #5 Hawai'i Hilo
SATURDAY, MARCH 9 - CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
» 12 PM / 2 PM PT: PLNU/UHH vs ARTU/APU
Full tournament information available at HiloAthletics.com/PacWestMBB
UP NEXT
Hawai'i Hilo moved to a 19-11 overall record (12-8 PacWest) while Biola finishes the season at 17-12 (12-8 PacWest).
The Vulcans will take on top seed and tournament host Point Loma Friday afternoon at 12:45 p.m. (2:45 p.m. Pacific Time) in the Golden Gymnasium. The game will follow the other semifinal matchup between second-seed Academy of Art and sixth-seed Azusa Pacific, which tips off at 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. PT).
"At this time of year, we all know each other so well," Aiona said. "It's just showing up — who shows up properly and who executes the game plan. But tomorrow will be a physical game. It'll be a good contest. We need our defense to show up like it did in the first half tonight, but they're a good team and it'll be a good one."
Coverage for Friday's game will be available for free online through Point Loma's video streaming service.
The game will also be broadcasted by Hawai'i Sports Radio on AM 760 and FM 95.1 in Honolulu. Audio streaming is available online at HawaiiSportsRadio.com.
PACWEST CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS
Single-day tickets and three-day tournament passes to the 2023-24 PacWest Basketball Championships are on sale at ThePacWest.com/tickets.
Single-day ticket prices are $12 for adults, $5 for students with ID, military with ID, seniors (age 65+), and children (12-18), with three-day tournament passes available for $30 (no discounts for tournament passes). Children under the age of 12 are admitted free.
