BURNABY, Canada. - On Wednesday evening, the Hawai'i Pacific men's basketball team looked to keep their winning ways going against Canada's Simon Fraser University after their first win of the 2023/24 campaign in Bellingham.

In the first half, Simon Fraser's Elliot Dimaculangan, who entered the matchup leading the Read Leafs in even categories, would convert on multiple tough shots. Meanwhile, HPU struggled offensively, shooting less than 30% from the field and three-point range, only converting on 60% of their free throws. However, Maj Dusanic and Dominique "Diggy" Winbush would keep the Red Leafs within striking distance as the Sharks trailed by six heading into the break.

 With the way the Red Leafs played, the Sharks could not afford to be as inefficient as they were in the first 20 minutes of action. When the Sharks emerged from the locker room, it was made clear by their play that they would not be denied this victory. After a slow start to the night, Melo Sanchez would put on a scoring masterclass with 22 points and working in tandem with Winbush to hit huge shots down the stretch. At the same time, Tyrease Terrell and Tucker Pellicci would give Head Coach Jesse Nakanishi huge minutes off the bench as the Sharks erased the Red Leaf's lead midway through the second half. 

After trading the lead multiple times, a crafty layup by Simon Fraser's Georges Lefebvre would put SFU up by one with two minutes left to play. After a turnover by the Sharks, the Read Leafs had multiple three-point opportunities to put the Sharks away for good, but Terrell was able to snatch the second consecutive miss, which led to Sanchez hitting a layup of his own for the lead.

With one last full possession to send the Sharks back below .500, SFU's Tate Christiansen pulled up from beyond the arc, only to be denied by Dusanic. After a couple of late free throws by Sanchez, the Sharks came away with the 67-64 victory. 

It was a tremendous testament to Head Coach Jesse Nakanishi and his squad's resilience as they outscored Simon Fraser 42-33, shooting 60% from the field, 75% from three, and 90% from the charity stripe in the second half. 

The Sharks close out their first road trip of the season with two wins and all the momentum heading back to Oahu for their next matchup on November 26th against Slippery Rock.

For the full HPU men's basketball schedule, CLICK HERE