It was close, but not close enough to reverse the early season struggles for the University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball team.
It was close, but not close enough to reverse the early season struggles for the University of Hawaii at Hilo men’s basketball team.
The undersized Vulcans fell to 0-5 Saturday night when they were unable to handle to inside game of BYU-Hawaii and 6-foot-11 center Ian Harward in an 83-70 victory for the Seasiders that was the first Pacific West Conference game of the season for both teams.
UH-Hilo is still playing without leading rebounder Darius Johnson-Wilson, who at 6-foot-6 is their tallest player and will be out until next month. Meanwhile, the Seasiders came in with Harward and two others who were 6-9 and 6-8, but they had difficulty shaking the combative Vulcans who never led in the game and were tied only twice, in the first three minutes.
“We played hard but we didn’t always play smart,” said Vulcans’ coach GE Coleman. “It’s tough playing a big team like that but they played hard, and I do love coaching these guys.”
BYU-Hawaii (4-2, 1-0), held leads of 10-12 points most of the first half but UH-Hilo closed it in the second half to a three-point deficit at 65-62 on two free throws by leading scorer Patrick Ball, who had 19 but was just 1-for6 from 3-point range.
Parker Farris, the Vulcans and PWC leading scorer at 23 per game, had just seven points on only nine shots in the game, but he almost turned it around late.
Farris stole an inbounds pass and moments later had a chance for a layup and a potential three-point play but he was confronted at the basket and instead of drawing a foul, a charge was called.
The littlest Seasider, 5-7 guard Justin Yamzon made four consecutive free throws for a seven-point lead, and that was it for UH-Hilo.
Ball kept UH-Hilo in the game with 13 first half points, above his season average of 10.8 per game. The shot that brought the crowd to its feet and lifted the energy in the gym for the rest of the half was a loud dunk by Ball when the freshman from Seattle’s Franklin High School went left right about five feet out from the baseline, then elevated and seemed to hang long enough to stuff the ball through the hoop. That play narrowed the Seasiders’ lead to 27-22 but their height advantage, and a 3-pointer by Cory Lange — he was 3-for-4 beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes — kept in front, 42-34 at the half. BYU-Hawaii outscored Hawaii-Hilo 8-0 in second chance baskets.
The Vulcans could barely hold their own on the boards, out rebounded 26-13 in the first half by he Seasiders who sent out four players taller than anyone UH Hilo had on the floor.
UH-Hilo made 27 of 71 field goals, just 38 percent, down from 47 percent shooting in its first four games. It was out rebounded again, 53-38 and the difference could be found on second-chance points where the Seasiders held a 14-2 advantage.