HONOLULU, Hawai'i. - On Monday evening, the Hawai'i Pacific men's basketball squad entered their matchup against Fresno Pacific as the hottest team in the PacWest after winning their fourth straight game this past weekend.

After losing their first two games of the season, the Sharks have put the conference on high alert, with Dominique "Diggy" Winbush and the squad earning Player and Team of the Week honors, respectively.


With the "Shark Squad" student section filled to the brim, the stage was set for the Sharks to maintain their perfect record at home.

After HPU got off to a slow start offensively, Josh Niusulu would bury a couple of threes, and Winbush would once again be causing headaches for opposing staffs, getting to the free throw line and putting the Sharks up by 10 in the first seven minutes of play.  Both teams would once again struggle to knock down baskets as both squads played tenacious defense, including Matthew Van Komen establishing a No-Fly Zone in the paint, collecting a pair of his eventual six blocks on the night. 

With the clock and lead dwindling down for HPU, another stellar block by Van Komen would result in a dime from Winbush to Maj Dusanic that would extend the lead to seven, a margin that they would hold into the break.

As the Sharks entered back onto the floor, the HPU fans in attendance were ready to brace for yet another thrilling ending at the Shark Tank. 

Fresno Pacific would come right out the gate swinging as they quickly closed the gap and would take a three-point lead with 13 minutes to go. 

Head Coach Jesse Nakanishi would turn to his bench to enter the game and kickstart the Sharks offense. Kordel Ng and Ethan Taafe would provide the boost HPU needed a both would find Dusanic on back to back possessions, bringing Hawai'i Pacific well within striking distance of the Sunbirds.

After a quiet season debut on Saturday, Charlie Weber would become lethal from mid-range. The transfer from Owings, Maryland's eight points in the second half would prove to be huge for the Blue and White as his last jumper of the night would put the Sharks up by seven with three minutes left.

The Sunbirds were able to come within five points of HPU, but free throws from Melo Sanchez and Niusulu would be all the Sharks would need to emerge from the fight with a 56-51 victory.

Despite the shooting metrics not being on par with standard HPU performance, Coach Nakanishi would have plenty of positive performances to take away from this game.
Niusulu, the JuCo product from Ohlone College, would lead the team with 15 points, knocking down his sixth three of December at an elite 55.5% rate. While Ng would make the most out of his 13 minutes of action as the guard from Kamehameha lead the team with five assists, all coming during the run that would eventually seal the game.

Tune in this Sunday to watch HPU go down the street to take on the University of Hawai'i at SimpliFi Arena iat the Stan Sheriff Center

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