Box Score HONOLULU — Hawaii Pacific used a strong second-half surge to beat Alaska Fairbanks 70-62 on Thursday night at the Shark Tank in the Hoops in Hawaii Classic.

The Sharks (6-2) trailed 32-31 at halftime but outscored the Nanooks 39-30 after the break, closing the game on an 8-0 run to erase a late UAF lead. The Sharks' defensive might shone on tonight as they collected 21 fast-break points and dominated the battle for the defensive boards, 36-24, which limited the Nanooks to only 9 second-chance points. 

Maj Dusanic helped the Sharks stay competitive in the paint, leading the team with 13 points. Joshua West finished with 12 points, while also pulling down a team-high 16 rebounds, including five of the Sharks' 20 offensive boards, winning the overall rebounding battle 56-34. Nemanja Sarenac offered 11 points off the bench in clutch moments that swung the momentum of the game. Quentin Meza added 12 points on three threes and three free throws, and Josh Niusulu added nine points and four rebounds.

Alaska Fairbanks (6-5) was led by Mike Miller's 19 points and Tyriq Luke's 16. The Nanooks shot 37.3 percent from the field and 20.7 percent from 3-point range.

HPU shot just 33.8 percent overall but converted 18 of 21 from the free-throw line, including 14 of 15 in the second half. The Sharks also limited UAF to just 30 second-half points and held the Nanooks scoreless for the final 1:17.

This is the final game for the Sharks' Men's Basketball team before heading into the mandatory life in the balance break. The Sharks will return to the court after the New Year in California as they take on Fresno Pacific on January 3rd, in the first of a four-game PacWest road series. Those games will be available to stream on the PacWest Network.