HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University dropped its season-opener to Alaska Anchorage 62-56 in non-conference action at the GNAC-PacWest Challenge at Chaminade's McCabe Gymnasium.
 
The Sharks (0-1) led the Seawolves (1-0) until allowing a 15-1 run to UAA midway through the second half that flipped the script as HPU never led again.
 
HPU was led by senior Rodney Hounshell of Richmond, Va./West Linn (Ore.) who scored 24 points, hitting 9-of-14 from the floor including 6-of-9 from 3-point range. Sophomore Tucker Pellicci of Portland, Ore./Franklin added 10 points. Junior Trey Miller of Mukilteo, Wash./Archbishop Murphy led HPU with six rebounds.
 
UAA got 17 points and nine rebounds from Hunter Sweet, while Tobin Karlberg added 15 points. Former Shark David Rowlands, a graduate transfer to the Seawolves, collected 10 points and a game-high four assists against his former mates.
 
The Sharks shot 42 percent for the game (22-of-53), hitting 50 percent in the first half and 33 percent in the second. Those figures include going 8-of-24 from the 3-point arc (88 percent), but just 2-of-14 in the second half. HPU was 4-of-5 (80 percent) from the foul line. The Seawolves hit 40 percent from the field (22-of-55), 46 percent in the second half, including making 11-of-26 3-pointers (42 percent). UAA went 7-of-15 (47 percent) from the charity stripe. HPU led the battle of the boards 37-30, but turned the ball over 20 times to UAA's 13.
 
HPU overcame an early six-point deficit and took the lead for the first time with 12:28 to play in the first half on a fast-break 3-pointer from junior Elijah Martinez of Denver, Colo./Regis Jesuit to give the Sharks an 11-10 lead. The teams swapped the lead before the Sharks went on a 7-0 run keyed by a Hounshell triple and a 3-pointer from transfer freshman Jackson Young from Kerrville, Texas/Tivy via Texas A&M to give the Sharks their largest lead of six points. HPU carried a four-point 35-31 lead into halftime after a pair of Pellicci free throws.
 
The Sharks continued to hold the lead in the second half, and were up 45-43 after a layup from Miller with 13:29 to play.
 
Then the Seawolves struck back, getting a fast-break driving layup from AJ Garrity to tie the score and start the 15-1 run capped by Rowlands' step back 3-pointer with 6:01 to play putting UAA up by 12 at 58-46.
 
After swapping treys, the Sharks responded with a 10-2 run of their own to pull within four at 60-56 on a Martinez fast-break layup with 92 seconds to go. But that would be HPU's last score with the Seawolves collecting two free throws for the 62-56 final.
 
The Sharks have one more game in the classic, taking on Alaska on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at McCabe Gym.