HILO, Hawai'i – It was a tough go against a tough task as Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball fell to three-time defending regular-season champion Point Loma, 67-57, Thursday evening in Pacific West Conference play at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

A 12-0 run by the Sea Lions midway through the opening half helped put the visiting team ahead for their largest lead, but the Vulcans continued to chip away throughout the rest of the evening. A 9-2 scoring spurt down the stretch helped bring the score within 10 points with under four minutes remaining, but PLNU managed to respond each time — going 9 of 10 at the free throw line — to keep Hawai'i Hilo at bay.

Both teams finished fairly even in the box score, but perhaps the biggest difference was 23 total turnovers by the Vulcans (12 steals) to just 10 by the Sea Lions. Still, Hawai'i Hilo finished with a 16-14 points-off-turnovers advantage.

Julio Montes II led the Vulcans with 13 points (4-7 FG).

Hawai'i Hilo moved to 2-3 in PacWest play (9-4 overall) as Point Loma moved to a 6-1 conference record (13-4 overall).

UP NEXT: Saturday, Jan. 11 (7:30 PM) vs Biola (Hilo, Hawai'i / Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)