HONOLULU – Hawai'i Pacific University overcame a 16-point deficit, but a shot with 1.4 seconds to play gave Hawai'i Hilo a 68-67 victory Tuesday night at The Shark Tank.
 
The Sharks (4-14, 1-10) built an eight-point fourth quarter lead only to have foul trouble let the Vulcans (8-7, 5-6) come back at the foul line to take a lead with 50 seconds to go. HPU re-gained the lead with 15 seconds left on a basket and free throw by junior Avery Cargill of Santa Rosa, Calif./Cardinal Newman, only to have the Vulcans get a layup from Nikki Miller with 1.4 on the clock for the win.
 
The Sharks were led by junior Tavia Rowell of Langley, B.C./Walnut Grove with 24 points and six rebounds, while Cargill tossed in 21 points with a team-high seven boards and game-high seven assists.
 
UH Hilo got 24 points and five assists from Mandi Kawaha, as Heaven Samayoa-Mathis collected 12 points. Miller just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, and Sara Shimizu added 10 points with four steals.
 
HPU shot an outstanding 51 percent from the floor (23-of-45), including making 6-of-9 in the fourth quarter. HPU made 4-of-12 (33 percent) from the 3-point arc, but hit 17-of-22 (77 percent) from the foul line. The Sharks held UH Hilo to just 29 percent (19-of-66) from the field, including 6-of-24 (25 percent) from behind the arc. The Vulcans connected on 24-of-32 (75 percent) from the charity stripe. UHH won the rebounding battle 39-36, and turned the ball over just nine times to the Sharks 17.
 
While the Sharks got the first points on a Cargill jumper, the Vulcans followed with an 11-0 run to take the lead and built the lead to 12 at the end of the period 21-9.
 
The Vulcans opened the lead to 16 at the start of the second quarter on a 5-1 run when redshirt freshman Anau Tu'ivai of Pukalani, Hawai'i/Seabury Hall hit a pull up jumper to start HPU's best run of the night. When Rowell got a layup with 5:10 to go in the quarter, the Sharks had a 10-0 run and cut the Vulcan lead to six. The teams battled the rest of the half as HPU trimmed the UH Hilo lead to two at the half, 32-30.
 
The Vulcans swapped scores with the Sharks to begin the third, when Cargill hit a jumper outside the lane and started a second 10-0 run that erase the deficit and built a six-point lead with 3:36 to play on a Rowell fast break layup to go up 42-36. The Vulcans responded, but HPU kept them at bay to lead 48-43 after three.
 
The Sharks got the lead up to eight points with 4:25 remaining at 57-49, only to have foul trouble creep up. HPU fought off the attacks by UHH, only to see the fouls allow the Vulcans to chip away the advantage to where HPU held a narrow one-point lead at 63-62 with a minute to play.
 
Kawaha took advantage of a bad HPU pass to get a fast break layup with 50 seconds to grab the lead, but HPU got one of two free throws from Tu'ivai to knot the game at with 38 to play. A foul put Kawaha at the line for two free throws with 25 clicks to play at 66-64. The Sharks followed with an isolation play by Cargill who was fouled on scoring with 15 seconds remaining. Cargill's free throw made it 67-66.
 
The Vulcans ran the clock down to have Kawaha drive the lane and be cutoff. But she found an open Miller on the left baseline who got the shot to go for the win.
 
The Sharks have to put another behind them as they visit crosstown rival Chaminade on Friday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at McCabe Gym.