HILO, Hawai'i – Some things change while others remain the same, and for Thursday night it was second-half free-throw shooting by the visiting team as Hawai'i Hilo Men's Basketball fell to Fresno Pacific, 65-52, in Pacific West Conference play at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
Both teams finished the first half nearly even with the score all knotted up at 26-26. Long-range shots were hard to come by as FPU and Hawai'i Hilo posted three-point percentages of .100 and .181, respectively, in the opening half. There was also only a combined three free-throw attempts for both sides.
The Sunbirds opened the second period with an 11-2 run and managed to maintain control the rest of the way. Again, both teams were fairly even in the box score but FPU managed to land five second-half 3-pointers against just one from the Vulcans.
The biggest difference came at the charity stripe as Hawai'i Hilo went 3 of 4 while Fresno Pacific finished 14 of 22 in the second half alone.
Hawai'i Hilo moved to 7-6 in PacWest play (14-9 overall) as Fresno Pacific moved to a 7-8 conference record (10-13 overall).
Hawai'i Hilo remained at No. 4 in the PacWest standings. Point Loma stands at the top at 13-1 as Fresno Pacific is slotted in at No. 8.
UP NEXT: Monday, Feb. 10 (7:30 PM) vs Jessup (Hilo, Hawai'i / Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium)
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 courtesy De Luz Chevrolet. During halftime of both the Hawai'i Hilo Women's Basketball and Men's Basketball season finales on March 1 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium, four selected participants will have the opportunity to shoot their way to a brand new truck. SIgn-ups are only available in person at each of the next Vulcans Basketball home doubleheaders (Feb. 1, 6, 10 and 13). Each person is allowed one entry per game date. Selected participants will be notified between Feb. 17-26 and must be available to attend on March 1. More details, rules and information available at HiloAthletics.com/truck.
