HILO, Hawai'i – Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball fell to HPU, 88-75, Thursday night in Pacific West Conference play at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The Vulcans had one of their better offensive shooting performances of the season going .431 from the field, but the Sharks just managed to shoot better at a .517 rate including .519 (14-27 3PT) from beyond the arc — marking the second season in a row that HPU saved its best perimeter shooting for against Hawai'i Hilo.
HPU shot .571 in the opening half to take a 16-point lead into the break. It was a slugfest through the early parts of the second half with the Sharks managing to immediately answer the Vulcans after five of the home team's made baskets, but Hawai'i Hilo kept at it until it sparked an 8-0 run (baskets by Dre Nobles, Brody Davis and Julio Montes II) to make it a three-point ballgame with just over seven minutes remaining.
After a few buckets traded cut the deficit to just two points, HPU managed to pull away and outscored the Vulcans, 21-10, the rest of the way.
GAMES NOTES
- Dre Nobles: 20 points (7-8 FG), 3 Assists
- Julio Montes II: 19 points (7-8 FG, 3-3 3PT), 3 Assists
- Brody Davis: 9 Points, 9 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Block, 2 Steals
- HPU's two leading scorers Quentin Meza and Joshua West combined for 35 points (13-19 FG, 6-10 3PT).
- Hawai'i Hilo: 0-5 Overall (0-1 PacWest)
- HPU: 4-2 Overall (1-1 PacWest)
- The two teams will meet again next week on Saturday, Dec. 13 on O'ahu.
- HPU is now even with Chaminade through the early portion of the men's basketball competition in the PacWest Hawai'i Challenge. After the fall season, the Vulcans led the friendly points-based competition between the three Division-II Hawai'i schools. More information at HiloAthletics.com/PWCHI.
- Backyard Monkey was Thursday's gameday sponsor as attending fans were given the opportunity to win gift cards and contest prizes. Fans were invited to play Basketball Bingo with the card filled with in-game events instead of numbers. Bingo will be played at every Thursday home event.
UP NEXT
- Saturday, Dec. 6 (7 PM) vs Chaminade (Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)
- Wednesday, Dec. 10 (7 PM) vs UH Manoa (Honolulu, HI)
- Saturday, Dec. 13 (6:30 PM) vs HPU (Honolulu, HI)
- 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)
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.
