The flight home for UH-Hilo women’s basketball team will feel just a tad shorter, but not so for the men.
Biola blistered UHH on Saturday night, shooting almost 65% in a 88-78 victory in La Mirada, Calif., that tagged the Vulcans with an 0-4 road trip.
The Vulcans (10-8, 6-5 Pacific West Conference) left Hilo in first place but will return in sixth.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting, but UHH simply didn’t have enough firepower to keep up with the way the Eagles (15-4, 9-3) were ripping the nets. They hit 8 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Biola put five scorers in double figures, led by Alex Wright and Michael Bagatourian with 17 apiece.
Considering how well the Eagles shot, there weren’t many rebounds to be had.
UHH, which shot 45%, was beaten on the boards 31-17. Max Kunnert finished with 14 points and four steals, Donald McHenry scored 12 and Ethan Jetter had 11.
The women avoided an empty road trip and avenged a loss earlier this week at Biola, riding Mindi Kawaha’s 22 points to a 57-49 victory that ended a four-game losing streak.
“I am really proud of our team,” coach David Kaneshiro said in a school release. “Playing five games on this trip was tough,and I’m proud of the toughness our team showed tonight.
Neither team shot well, but UHH (8-6, 5-5 PacWest) went 6 of 16 from behind the arc, improving dramatically from of an 0-for-15 showing Tuesday in La Mirada.
Another improvement came defensively.
The Vuls also turned 26 turnovers into 23 points, and limited Amiah Simmons, one of the league’s top scorers, to 15 points.
UHH freshman Heaven Samayoa-Mathis finished with 12 points, and Nikki Miller grabbed 15 rebounds.
Biola (11-6, 7-4) was just 4 of 17 on 3-pointers.
