HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball fell to HPU, 80-74, Saturday evening in Pacific West Conference play at The Shark Tank on O'ahu.
Nine days after matching up in Hilo (88-75 HPU win on Dec. 4), the Sharks once again managed to have a hot shooting night from beyond the arc, splashing 15 total 3-pointers.
The Vulcans erased a 15-point halftime deficit to make it a single-possession game with under a minute to go, but time ran out as HPU hit its free throws to close up the win. Hawai'i Hilo had tough go in the opening half going 1 of 10 on perimeter attempts but turned it around to land eight 3-pointers while going 52.9 percent overall from the field — the Vulcans were 6 of 9 on three-point shooting through the final 10 minutes of action.
While HPU made half as many long-range shots as it did in the first half, the team in blue seemingly made up for it at the free throw line going 19 of 21 through the last 20 minutes — Hawai'i Hilo shot 7 for 7 in the second half.
Jamal Entezami led the Vulcans with 23 points (9-14 FG) while Alex Horiuk added 17 (6-9 FG) with eight rebounds and three blocks. Julio Montes II splashed the final 3-pointer with 30 seconds left to inch within three points as he finished with 10 points and three steals.
GAMES NOTES
- Hawai'i Hilo: 0-7 Overall (0-3 PacWest)
- HPU: 5-2 Overall (2-1 PacWest)
- HPU and Chaminade are now tied for the lead in the men's basketball competition of the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge, a friendly points-based competition determined by head-to-head matchups between the three Division-II Hawai'i schools. Hawai'i Hilo will land with one point to count toward the final score, which the Vulcans led after the end of the fall season.
UP NEXT
- Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic at South Point Arena
- Saturday, Dec. 20 (4 PM) vs Rollins (Las Vegas, NV)
- Sunday, Dec. 21 (1:45 PM) vs Angelo State (Las Vegas, NV)
- Saturday, Jan. 3 (1:30 PM) vs Jessup (Rocklin, CA)
- Monday, Jan. 5 (2:15 PM) vs Fresno Pacific (Fresno, CA)
- Thursday, Jan. 8 (5:30 PM) vs Dominican (San Rafael, CA)
- Saturday, Jan. 10 (NOON) vs Menlo (Atherton, CA)
- Thursday, Jan. 15 (7 PM) vs Dominican (Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)
PACWEST PRESEASON POLL
Hawai'i Hilo was voted No. 2 in the Pacific West Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, tying with Fresno Pacific. The Vulcans finished the 2024-25 regular season in a three-way tie at No. 4 in the conference standings and was one of six teams to qualify for the PacWest Conference Championships postseason tournament, falling to defending champ Point Loma in the semifinal round. 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' 16 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 13 Vulcans Women'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 $180.
