(IRVINE, CA) - With their win at Concordia-Irvine on Monday night, the Hawaii Pacific Men's Basketball team officially punched their ticket to the conference postseason tournament. This will be their first appearance since the 2016-17 season. A huge goal checked off for Head Coach Jesse Nakanishi's squad, the Sharks now turn their focus to competing for the highest seed they can get heading into the postseason. 

The Sharks 10 day road trip started off with a 64-55 loss at Point Loma, the current first place team in the PacWest. HPU took a 30-24 lead into halftime, but was outscored 40-25 in the second half. The Sharks were led by 18 points from Maj Dusanic, as well as 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists from Diggy Winbush. 

HPU didn't have to wait around long to bounce back, taking on Concordia-Irvine just two days later. The Sharks controlled the majority of the game, taking a 5-point lead into the locker room at halftime. The second half was similar, with the Sharks outscoring the Golden Eagles by 4. The rebound battle was dominated by the Sharks, who grabbed 12 offensive rebounds and 32 defensive rebounds compared to Concordia-Irvine's 4 and 19. HPU limited CUI to just 32% FG as their stellar defense continues to be atop the PacWest. Diggy Winbush scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds while the Sharks also got a double-double from forward Charlie Weber. He finished the night with 10 points and 12 rebounds, 5 of which came on the offensive end of the floor. 

HPU takes on Azusa Pacific on Thursday and Biola on Saturday to complete their Southern California road trip. Each game is critical, as the PacWest standings are tighter than ever.