HONOLULU – The Hawaii Pacific University men's basketball team battled back from an early deficit but ultimately fell 90-84 to Lake Erie College on Sunday evening at McCabe Gymnasium. Despite overcoming a 15-point first-half deficit and taking the lead late in the second half, the Sharks were unable to hold off the Storm, dropping to 1-2 on the season.
Evan Kilminster led HPU with a game-high 20 points and seven assists, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and connecting on three shots from beyond the arc. Keonjay Carter provided a strong performance off the bench, finishing with 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Will Woodward added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Marino Dubravcic contributed eight points.
Lake Erie established control early, jumping out to a 20-5 advantage midway through the opening half. The Sharks responded behind Carter, who knocked down a three-pointer and converted four consecutive free throws to help spark the comeback. A layup from Zane Gaul and a three-pointer from Nemanja Sarenac brought HPU within six at 25-19 with under seven minutes remaining. The Sharks continued to chip away at the deficit, with Kilminster scoring five consecutive points late in the period before Avi Halpert converted three free throws at the buzzer to even the score at 40-40 heading into halftime.
The second half featured a tightly contested battle as both teams exchanged momentum. Lake Erie built a 66-55 advantage with just over 10 minutes remaining, but HPU answered with a 9-0 run behind a three-pointer from Kilminster, consecutive baskets from Dubravcic and a layup from Gaul to cut the deficit to two. The Sharks continued their push as Ike Sutton connected on a three-pointer to tie the contest at 71-71 with 5:59 remaining. Kilminster later buried another shot from beyond the arc to give HPU a 74-73 lead, and Carter followed with a three-pointer to put the Sharks ahead 77-75 with 4:36 left to play.
However, Lake Erie responded with a 5-0 run to regain the advantage at 80-77. Sutton brought HPU within one on a layup with 3:04 remaining, but the Storm closed the contest with timely baskets and free throws to secure the six-point victory. Jamyier Patton led Lake Erie with 12 points, while Gio Moore finished with a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Sharks shot 49.1 percent from the field and connected on nine three-pointers while recording 15 assists and outrebounding Lake Erie 40-36. HPU also scored 36 points in the paint and received 30 points from its bench. However, 24 turnovers proved costly, as Lake Erie capitalized with 26 points off turnovers. The Storm finished shooting 40.6 percent from the field while connecting on 12 three-pointers.
Hawaii Pacific concludes its opening weekend with a 1-2 overall record following three games at McCabe Gymnasium.
