HILO, Hawai'i – It was another classic battle between interisland foes but Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball ultimately fell to Chaminade, 86-76, Thursday night in Pacific West Conference play at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
The two teams swapped leads 11 times, including four times in the second half with the last tie coming at 67-all with just under eight minutes to go. Unfortunately, it was part of a 13-0 run by the visiting team after the Vulcans had previously jumped ahead on back-to-back 3-pointers by Jake Kosakowski plus a made basket by former Silversword Jessiya Villa for a six-point advantage with 10 minutes left.
Hawai'i Hilo just couldn't quite find the bottom of the net on seven attempts (four from beyond the arc) until Jarin Edwards landed the frontend on a trip to the free throw line at the 4:37 mark to chase a six-point deficit. The two teams traded a handful of baskets but time on the clock ran short as the Silverswords managed to make eight free throws in the final minute and a half to survive with the 10-point win.
Edwards compiled his first career double-double with 13 points (5-7 FG) and 11 rebounds along with four assists. Andre Norris led the Vulcans in scoring for a consecutive game with 19 points.
Chaminade managed to total just five turnovers for the lowest amount by an opposing team this season. They also managed to make 24 free throws (.828), the most made by an opposing team this season.
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 8-7 in PacWest play (15-10 overall) as Chaminade moved to a 10-9 conference record (16-10 overall).
OTHER NOTES
- Nadrick Peat totaled 11 rebounds to move to No. 2 all-time in the program record books, surpassing Zachary Wilde ('10-'12) with a career total of 577.
- Brody Davis only totaled eight minutes of action and did not play in the second half.
- Hawai'i Hilo moved to a tie at No. 5 in the PacWest standings with HPU. Point Loma is at the top with a 13-2 conference record and has wrapped up one of six PacWest Championships postseason tournament spots along with Biola (13-4). Chaminade is slotted at No. 7.
UP NEXT: Monday, Feb. 17 (5:30 PM / 7:30 PM PT) vs Menlo (Atherton, California / Haynes-Prim Pavilion)
PACWEST HAWAI'I CHALLENGE: The Vulcans remained within contention in the men's basketball category for the friendly competition between the three Division-II Hawai'i schools. After the fall season, Hawai'i Hilo and Chaminade were tied with a score of nine followed by HPU with seven. For men's hoops, the Silverswords currently hold the lead with four points but the Sharks (two points) will have a chance to take the top score with remaining matchups against both HPU and Hawai'i Hilo. See more information at HiloAthletics.com/PWCHawaii.
HFS FCU FAN FUN NIGHT: Mahalo to HFS Federal Credit Union for their support of Hawai'i Hilo Athletics and Thursday's Vulcans Basketball doubleheader. Fans were treated to halftime contest games and hat giveaways courtesy HFS Federal Credit Union. This year, the 2025 HFS FCU Scholarship Program has added five additional scholarships for a whopping total of $60,000 to support graduating Big Island high school seniors and current college students. Application and information is available at HFSFCU.awardspring.com.
DE LUZ CHEVROLET HALFTIME CONTEST GIVEAWAY: De Luz Chevrolet is giving four Vulcans fans a chance to win a new 2024 Chevrolet Colorado Trail Boss. During halftime of our home season finale on March 1 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, selected participants will have the opportunity to shoot their way to a brand new truck — two for the women's game and two for the men's contest. You don't want to miss the exciting action coming up!
