College basketball: Vulcans’ Farris reaches rarefied air with career-high 39

Parker Farris has two more chances to try and outdo himself.

The senior guard enters the penultimate game of his UH-Hilo basketball career at Academy of Art coming off a career-high 39-point performance against Holy Names.

The Vulcans’ 94-92 win Tuesday night in Oakland, Calif., was one they desperately needed a month earlier against the lowly Hawks. An 89-85 loss Jan. 19 at Hilo Civic set UH-Hilo (9-19, 7-11 Pacific West Conference) on a six-game losing streak.

Entering their final two games, the Vulcans has won three of four.

In addition to a big game from Farris, who hit nine 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds, Ryley Callaghan and Brian Ishola loomed large as well. Callaghan (18 points, six assists) made two free throws with four seconds left after making a layup with 35 seconds left, while Ishola collected his ninth double-double of the year with 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Farris’ fifth 30-point game as a Vulcan lifted his scoring average to 22.6 points. Unofficially – according to the school – Farris has the highest scoring average in Vulcan history, just clearing Merriel Jenkins’ 22.4 set in 1996-97.

On Thursday, UHH faces an Urban Knights squad that ranks fifth in the conference in defense, allowing 73.2 points per game. The issue for Academy of Art (6-18, 5-13) this season had been an offense that’s averaging only 66.4 points game.

• The UH-Hilo women still have a chance to finish .500 in conference play, but they’ll have to execute more consistently than they did Tuesday in a 53-48 loss to Holy Names, which won just its third PacWest game.

Sydney Mercer scored 21 points for the Vulcans (8-13, 8-10), who were eliminated from conference tournament contention. UHH can play spoiler against the Urban Knights, who are tied with Notre Dame de Namur for the PacWest’s sixth and final playoff spot.