HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Women's Basketball fell to Wingate, 64-56, Tuesday evening in its home opener as part of the Big Island Holiday Classic at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The score was all knotted up at 54 with just over four minutes remaining, but the visiting Bulldogs from North Carolina outscored the Vulcans, 10-2, the rest of the way — six of them coming via free throws. Wingate took 26 total free throws (.731) with Kyleigh Bacon going 13 of 16 (.812) as part of her game-high 23 points. The Vulcans went 6 of 7 (.857) on free throws.
While it was a close margin on the scoreboard through much of the contest, the Vulcans kept pace and battled through a nine-point deficit to still have a chance through the final minutes of action. After the last tie at 54-54, the Vulcans went 1 of 6 from the field with two turnovers.
Hawai'i Hilo just couldn't get the long-range shots to land, going 2 of 20 (.100) from beyond the arc.
GAME NOTES
- UHH #10 Keirstyn Agonias: 14 points (7-12 FG), 3 rebounds, 3 assists
- UHH #12 Brooke Samura: 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals
- UHH #20 KeanuMarie Huihui: 12 points
- Hawai'i Hilo: 2-2 Overall (0-0 PacWest)
- Wingate: 3-1 Overall (0-0 South Atlantic Conference)
- SAC Preseason Poll No. 3
- 2024-25 record: 19-11 overall (17-7 SAC)
- Wingate, North Carolina
UP NEXT
- Big Island Holiday Classic
- Tuesday, Nov. 25: Saginaw Valley State 53 - Gannon 59
- Tuesday, Nov. 25: Hawai'i Hilo 56 - Wingate 64
- Wednesday, Nov. 26 (1 PM): Saginaw Valley State vs Wingate (Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)
- Wednesday, Nov. 26 (5 PM) vs Gannon (Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)
- Thursday, Dec. 4 (5 PM) vs HPU (Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)
- Saturday, Dec. 6 (5 PM) vs Chaminade (Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)
PACWEST PRESEASON POLL
Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 11 in the Pacific West Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vulcans finished the 2024-25 regular season tied at No. 10 in the conference standings. The 2025-26 PacWest Championships will be hosted by PLNU on March 5-7 in San Diego.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Season and individual tickets for the Vulcans' 13 home matches at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium are available for purchase at HiloAthletics.com/tickets. Season tickets are $135 ($70 for seniors 65+ and middle/high school students) and also includes admission to an additional 16 Vulcans Men's Basketball home events.
BUY LIVESTREAM PACKAGE
Video livestreaming will be available for all home events this season through the PacWest Network, powered by Hudl TV. More information is available at HiloAthletics.com/livestream. Single-game passes are offered at $15 with a season-package price of $146.25.
