HONOLULU — Defending PacWest Champion Hawai'i Pacific University got a 3-pointer from David Rowlands with 1:41 to play for a lead they wouldn't relinquish as HPU opened the Hoops In Hawai'i Holiday Classic with a hard fought 79-72 win over Harding (Ark.) on Sunday afternoon at the Hawai'i Convention Center.
 
The Sharks (6-4, 2-1) fought through 16 lead changes and 13 ties with the Bisons (0-9) holding strong down the stretch for the win.
 
"Harding has to be the best winless team in the nation," said HPU head coach Darren Vorderbruegge. "They have a good team. We were sluggish early from not playing in over a week and we came through in the end."
 
Senior forward Niksha Federico of San Diego, Calif./Cathedral Catholic, recorded his seventh double-double of the season in leading the Sharks with 22 points and 14 rebounds with a block and a steal. Rowlands, a redshirt freshman guard from Dayton, Ohio/Moorpark, added 14 points with three assists and two steals, while junior guard Darnell Bettis of Los Angeles, Calif./University also scored 14 points the five assists. Junior forward Spencer Vering of San Diego, Calif./Mater Dei Catholic, posted 12 points with six boards, with senior forward Albert Christensson of Lund, Sweden scoring 10 points.
 
The Bisons were paced by Tim Wagner's 26 points and six rebounds, as Preston Anderson added 18 points with six boards and two blocks. Braden Eggleston posted a team-high eight rebounds with eight points.
 
HPU shot 42 percent from the floor (28-of-66) and 9-of-25 (36 percent) from the 3-point arc. The Sharks connected on 14-of-19 points from the foul line. Harding shot 46 percent (29-of-63) with 8-of 23 from the arc (35 percent), but 6-of-12 from the foul line.  The Sharks won the battle of the boards 45-to-35 and turnover war 12-to-14.
 
HPU opened the game with a 5-2 lead after a 3-pointer by Federico, but the Bisons would use an 11-2 run to take a six-point lead with 13:22 to play in the first. It was the largest lead by either team until the very end of the contest.
 
After taking a 32-31 lead with 1:41 to play in the half on a Christensson layup, the Bisons answered with a jumper from Wagner to go up 33-32 and take that lead into halftime.
 
HPU retook the lead in the second on a 3-ball from Rowlands and extended the lead to five on free throws from Federico with 15:53 to play.
 
But this game would bounce back and forth with Harding answering with a mini-run and the two teams exchanging the lead six times in the last five minutes with the last exchange on Rowland's triple with 1:41 to go. After a missed 3 by Anderson on the next possession, Vering nailed a transition 3 and the Sharks never trailed again. The teams exchanged scores, but HPU got free throws from Federico and Bettis in the final 10 seconds to pull out the seven-point 79-72 win and the largest lead of the game for either team.
 
The Sharks are back on the new hardwood at the Convention Center on Tuesday, as they open the final day of the Hoops In Hawai'i Holiday Classic against Montana State Billings. Tipoff is at 3:30 p.m.