HILO, Hawai'i – The Hawai'i Hilo Women's Basketball team reached triple digits on the scoreboard with a 104-90 season-opening victory over Alaska on Tuesday afternoon at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
Redshirt sophomore Tavina Harris and freshman Pua'ena Herrington combined for 65 points to help the Vulcans post the program's single-game scoring record. Harris scored a game-high 33 points on 14-of-18 shooting with 14 rebounds — 14 field goals are also a new program single-game record, passing 13 made shots set by Keirstyn Agonias in last year's matchup at Alaska.
It also surpassed the 13 field goals made by Herrington on Tuesday, who totaled 32 points on 13-of-22 shooting with four 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and five assists.
"I think a lot of those points had to do with coach Dave (David Kaneshiro) and his conditioning," Harris said. "In the beginning of the season, we definitely ran a lot, way more than we usually do, and I think that was actually key because everybody else seemed to be more in shape and more fresh on the court than we were in the past years. We hated running, but I think that was a very good thing for us."
The Vulcans missed only three of their 18 shots from the field in the second quarter en route to a 37-18 quarter that turned a 21-19 lead into a 58-37 halftime advantage. Alaska missed its first nine shots of the quarter. Harris scored 16 of her 33 points in the quarter and Herrington 12 — together 28 of the 37.
"I was nervous coming into this game," Harris said. "It's only my second year playing, and my freshman year I got hurt, so I was just trying to prepare as best as I could so that I could be an asset to my teammates. I didn't want to let anybody down, and I wanted to win as well."
Freshman Mikela Salazar-Harrell tallied a team-high nine assists with eight points. Febo-Santiago shot 4 of 5 for nine points with five rebounds. Aly Boyd scored 10 points off the bench.
The Vulcans led by as many as 26 points (65-39) early in the third quarter. The Nanooks managed to cut it to just an eight-point differential with under two minutes left in the game, but the Vulcans closed out with a 6-0 run as Harris hit a jumper with 54 seconds left to score the 100th point.
It'll be a quick turnaround as Hawai'i Hilo departs for a two-game road trip to Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon for matchups with UC Merced and Fresno Pacific — both now of the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
"We leave tomorrow at 9:30, and we land at midnight, so we're going to have practice after that, and we just got to be ready because this is only the beginning and we still got a lot more season to go," Harris said. "We can't just get our hopes up and our heads big about it. We got to keep working hard."
GAME NOTES
| Team Totals |
Hawai'i Hilo |
Alaska |
| Shooting |
41-75 (.547) |
28-84 (.333) |
| Three-Pointers |
6-20 (.300) |
14-44 (.318) |
| Free Throws |
16-26 (.615) |
20-35 (.571) |
| Points in the Paint |
54 |
20 |
| Total Bench Points |
19 |
31 |
| Total Assists |
28 |
12 |
| Total Rebounds |
62 |
42 |
| Total Turnovers |
23 |
14 |
| Total Steals |
3 |
11 |
Harris: Program Single-Game Rank No. T5 – 33 Points
No. T5: Kirstie Williams (2015 vs Cal Baptist) – 33 Points
Herrington: Program Single-Game Rank No. T7 – 32 Points
No. T7: Allie Navarette (2019 vs Academy of Art) – 32 Points
- Vulcans starters: Herrington, Kacie Febo-Santiago, Salazar-Harrell, Harris, Faith Mersburgh
- Ten of the Vulcans' 12 rostered players logged game action in the season opener.
- Febo-Santiago hit a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer to send the Vulcans into the fourth quarter ahead, 84-70.
- UHH had come within one basket of reaching triple digits four times prior: 99 points vs Chaminade (Feb. 2008), 97 points vs Chaminade (Nov. 2009), 99 points vs Northwest Indian College (Nov. 2023),98 points at Alaska (Nov. 2025)
Hawai'i Hilo
1-0 Overall (0-0 PacWest)
| Nickname |
Vulcans |
| Conference Preseason Poll |
No. 9 |
Alaska
2-1 Overall (0-0 GNAC)
| Nickname |
Nanooks |
| Location |
Fairbanks, Alaska |
| Conference |
Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
| Conference Preseason Poll |
No. 10 |
- Previous Matchup (Nov. 14, 2025): W 98-76 in Fairbanks, Alaska (non-conference)
UP NEXT
NOV 13 (FRI)10 AM (12 PM PT)
at UC MercedMonmouth, Oregon / Wolves Athletic CenterWOU Conference Crossover
NOV 14 (SAT)10 AM (12 PM PT)
at Fresno PacificMonmouth, Oregon / Wolves Athletic CenterWOU Conference Crossover
NOV 17 (TUE)3 PM
vs Alaska AnchorageHilo, Hawai'i / Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
DEC 3 (THU)5 PM
vs BiolaHilo, Hawai'i / Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium
PACWEST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
Hawai'i Hilo was picked No. 9 in the 2026-27 Pacific West Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. Vanguard (defending champion) was voted first. The Vulcans finished No. 12 in the conference last season (5-17). The top six teams in the final standings qualify for the PacWest Championships, set for March 4-6 in La Mirada, California at Biola University.
PURCHASE SEASON TICKETS
Season Package ($130) covers all 27 home games (Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium) for both the Vulcans Women's Basketball and Vulcans Men's Basketball teams for the 2026-27 season ($65 for seniors 65+ and middle/high school students). Single-game tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Tickets are available at HiloAthletics.com/tickets.
BUY LIVESTREAM PACKAGE
Vulcans home games are livestreamed on the PacWest Network, powered by Hudl TV. Women's Basketball Season Pass (14 Home Events): $130 (Original: $140). Single-Game Passes: $15. Details available at HiloAthletics.com/livestream.
