HILO – Hawai'i Pacific University battled in the first PacWest Conference men's game of the season, but a 17-2 run by host Hawai'i-Hilo midway through the first half put HPU in a hole that they couldn't climb out of despite a late 17-4 run as UH Hilo claimed a 79-71 decision.
 
The Sharks (0-1, 0-1) played their first contest since a December exhibition game against the University of Hawai'i. The Vulcans (1-0, 1-0) also played their first game since a similar exhibition before Christmas.
 
The Sharks were led by senior David Rowlands of Dayton, Ohio/Moorpark who scored 20 points with six assists. Junior Jacob Foy of Newcastle, Australia/St. Francis Xavier tallied 13 points and led HPU with eight rebounds, while junior Rodney Hounshell of Richmond, Va./West Linn posted 12 points.
 
The Vulcans were paced by Darren Williams with 23 points and three assists, with Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones chalked up 21 points with nine rebounds. Sasa Vuksanovic double-doubled with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
 
HPU shot 43 percent (27-of-63) from the field, hitting 9-of-16 (56 percent) from the 3-point arc. The Sharks hit 8-of-10 (80 percent) from the foul line. UHH hit 28-67 (42 percent) from the floor, with 9-of-30 (30 percent) from the arc. The Vulcans made 14-of-20 (70 percent) from the charity stripe. UH Hilo outrebounded HPU 38-33, while the Sharks turned the ball over 17 times to the Vulcans 13.
 
The Sharks and Vulcans were locked in a very physical contest early, with the teams swapping scores early. Rowlands nailed an early jumper that gave HPU a 7-6 lead. Then after UHH regained the advantage, HPU battled back and got a 16-15 lead with 12:45 left in the first. The Vulcans followed with a Williams layup to take the lead and start a 17-2 run that kept UH Hilo on top.
 
UHH took a 43-34 lead into the half.
 
The Vulcans built an 18-point lead with just under six minutes left in the game before the Sharks got a Foy jumper and freshman Tucker Pellicci of Portland, Ore./Franklin got a pair of free throws and a dunk to start a 17-4 run. HPU pulled within five at 76-71 with 31 seconds to play when Foy buried a left elbow 3-pointer. But having to foul to get the ball back, the Sharks allowed UH Hilo to covert four straight free throws to claim the 79-71 win.
 
Because of the pandemic-caused PacWest Hawai'i Pod Schedule, the two teams meet again on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. in the UH Hilo Gymnasium.