University of Hawaii at Hilo coach GE Coleman expected and downright welcomed the push his team received from Seattle Pacific.
He just wishes the Vulcans would have pushed back a little a harder.
Tre Johnson scored 27 points with eight rebounds Wednesday night, but UH-Hilo fell victim to a barrage of fouls, losing 84-74 at the Vulcans Thanksgiving Classic at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
“We’ve got to buckle down and respond to adversity much better than we’re doing right now,” Coleman said. “When the going gets tough, we tend to settle, we don’t get great shots and we break down. The mental aspect more than anything is where we’ve got to grow heading into league next week.”
Cory Hutsen scored 21 points, going 10 of 15 from the floor for the the No. 22 Falcons, who shot 57.1 percent.
“We got outrebounded (37-27), and we turned the ball over 14 times against a team that doesn’t pressure,” Coleman said.
Meanwhile, the Vulcans’ pressure defense was ineffective the last 30 minutes of game.
The Vulcans (2-2) committed 34 fouls, allowing Seattle Pacific (5-2) to thrive at the free-throw line, where it was 27 of 47. UH-Hilo was 14 of 21.
“Anytime you give up 47 free throws on your home floor,” Coleman said.
He acknowledged the Falcons’ free-throw total was distorted because the Vulcans fouled late to save possession, but he added, “I don’t know if it distorted it 26 (free throws).”
Matt Borton and Mitch Penner each added 14 points for Seattle Pacific, which has made 10 consecutive trips to the playoffs, the longest streak in Division II.
The Falcons used a 15-3 run spanning the first and second halves to build a double-digit lead, and they led by as much as 20.
“They’re an unbelievable program, and that’s why we scheduled them,” Coleman said.
The Vulcans finish their tournament with a 9 a.m. game Thursday against Northwest Indian College at UH-Hilo gym.
Marcello Campbell was one of four UH-Hilo starters to finish with four fouls, and Campbell went scoreless in only 17 minutes of playing time. Vandyon Lockett and Yevgeniy Dyachenko fouled out.
Joey Rodriguez finished with 12 points and Darnell Williams added 11.
Johnson saw limited playing time in Tuesday’s victory against Washburn. He had to sit in the first half against Seattle Pacific after drawing his second foul, but he played 26 minutes and was 8 of 9 from the floor.
“Whenever you have that amount of minutes from Tre, we’re going to get production,” Coleman said. “The only thing that’s going to stop him is foul trouble.”
