HONOLULU– The Hawaii Pacific University men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season in impressive fashion Friday morning, knocking down 19 three-pointers en route to an 88-64 victory over St. Edward's at McCabe Gym.
Avi Halpert led the offensive charge with a game-high 23 points, connecting on seven of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Evan Kilminster added 15 points and six assists, while Marino Dubravcic recorded a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Sharks wasted little time establishing their rhythm offensively. Kilminster opened the scoring with a three-pointer, followed by another from Nemanja Sarenac. Halpert then connected on back-to-back triples to give HPU an early 12-4 advantage.
HPU continued to stretch the floor as Ike Sutton entered the contest and buried consecutive three-pointers, extending the Sharks' lead to 18-9. Halpert and Sarenac followed with additional shots from deep as HPU built a commanding advantage midway through the opening half.
The Sharks' perimeter shooting proved nearly unstoppable, with Halpert connecting on seven three-pointers and the team shooting 15-of-24 from beyond the arc in the first half alone.
HPU closed the opening period with a 57-25 advantage, shooting 63.3 percent from the field while recording 17 assists on 19 made baskets.
St. Edward's attempted to cut into the deficit in the second half, outscoring HPU 39-31 over the final 20 minutes. However, the Sharks' substantial first-half advantage proved too much to overcome.
Sarenac finished with 10 points, three assists and two steals, while Zane Gaul contributed eight points and two assists. Sutton added eight points and five assists off the bench.
Dubravcic was perfect from the field, finishing 5-for-5 while pulling down 12 rebounds, including nine on the defensive glass. Will Woodward contributed six points and six rebounds.
As a team, HPU shot 56.4 percent from the field and an impressive 52.8 percent from three-point range. The Sharks also recorded 23 assists and outrebounded St. Edward's 42-24.
Robert Conrad led St. Edward's with 16 points, while Donovan Santoro added 11.
With the victory, Hawaii Pacific improves to 1-0 on the season.
