First appearing well-rested, then rusty, the 2018 version of UH-Hilo, riding defense and 3-point shooting, finally looked ready to roll.
And just in time for the Vulcans to go wherever they dare to desire.
Don’t worry too much about that number in the win column – the Vulcans can add to that shortly. Check out the loss column. For now, the “1” is the one that matters for a men’s basketball team that’s already been displaced, downgraded and at times dominated this season, yet still has everything it wants to play for right in front of it.
The Vulcans, one of four one-loss teams in the Pacific West Conference, host Academy of Art at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium looking to build off the momentum of second-half surge that saw them put away Notre Dame de Namur 73-65 on Wednesday night to start the new year off right at Hilo Civic.
“We started out sluggish, it looked like we hadn’t played in two weeks,” coach GE Coleman said in a release of his team, which hadn’t played since suffering a third consecutive loss Dec 18. “But we really picked up the intensity in the second half, I really liked our energy. It showed on the defensive end, and that translated into points on the offensive end for us as well.”
Able to heal his injured ribs during the break, senior guard Ryley Callaghan returned to the lineup and scored 21 points on 5-on-9 shooting from 3-point range.
UHH (4-7, 3-1 PacWest) blew past the Argonauts (2-9, 1-4) thanks to a community effort, making 13 of 27 from long range.
Eric Wattree finished with 11 points and freshman Cleo Cain came off the bench to add 10. Randan Berinobis had a season-high 12 rebounds and added eight points in just 19 minutes because of foul trouble, Devin Johnson also just missed a double-double with eight points and nine boards and Trey Ingram had nine points and seven assists.
“It was a complete team effort,” Coleman said. “It wasn’t the prettiest game, but I like how everyone contributed.”
Callaghan nailed three 3-pointers as UHH grabbed a 20-10 lead, but Notre Dame de Namur raged back with a 14-0 run and led 40-36 at the half.
The advantage didn’t last long.
Johnson hit back-to-back baskets to tie the game, and 3s by Wattree, Callaghan and Ingram gave the Vulcans a 49-46 lead that they would never relinquish.
UH-Hilo held Notre Dame de Namur to 36.7 percent shooting.
Academy of Art (4-9, 3-4) comes in after absorbing an 81-57 loss to Hawaii Pacific on Wednesday in Honolulu.
