10:22Teams that lose conference games on their home floor make life difficult for themselves at any level of basketball. ADVERTISING 10:22Teams that lose conference games on their home floor make life difficult for themselves at any level of basketball. The
10:22Teams that lose conference games on their home floor make life difficult for themselves at any level of basketball.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo team, on the other hand, is making life almost impossible for themselves after a 102-88 emotionally-charged defeat to league-leading Hawaii Pacific Saturday afternoon at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
It was the fourth straight loss for the Vulcans (6-10, 4-6 in the Pacific West Conference) on their home floor, including defeats this week to the Sharks (18-1, 10-1), the best the conference has to offer, and to Holy Names on Thursday, the conference’s last place team.
Granted, the Vulcans were hindered against Holy Names because of the absence of junior Brian Ishola, the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, who was out with the flu. Ishola tried to play through it Saturday, and his appearance was beneficial, but it wasn’t enough to maintain a first half lead over the Sharks who swept the season series after an early victory on Oahu.
The Vulcans led throughout the first half and maintained a 48-41 advantage at the intermission but a technical foul whistled on Ryan Reyes as the teams were heading to the locker rooms at the half seemed to arouse the Sharks for the second half as much as it seemed to deflate the home team.
Officials called together both coaches prior to the start of the second half and said they would allow no more chatter between players and the opposing bench, but that never happened.
Hawaii Pacific coach Darren Vorderbrugge was whistled for a first half technical when he went on the floor yelling at officials, but it all seemed to play to the Sharks benefit in the final 20 minutes.
“That’s how it is when we play them,” said UHH coach GE Coleman a few minutes after the game, hearing the Sharks yelling and chanting in their locker room.
“Hear that?” Coleman said, “they’re pretty proud to beat a 4-5 team, I guess. It was chippy again but I would truly love to have another opportunity to play them in the conference tournament, and you can quote me on that. This is absolutely a rivalry, no question about that.”
The conference tournament for a 4-6 team halfway through its schedule with seven of its remaining 10 games on the road?
“Yes,” Coleman said. “We have the toughest road trip in America coming up, but I believe in the resolve we have in this program and I believe we will get over the hump, we will find a way.”
First order of duty in that regard would be second-half defense. In this game, Hawaii Pacific shot a blistering 86 percent from the floor, making 24 of 28 attempts while Hawaii Hilo barely hit 39 percent at 11 of 28.
Parker Farris led the Vulcans again with 26 points, three above his season average, and he had help from freshman Eric Wattree with 15, Ishola had 13, Randan Berinobis 12 and Ryley Callaghan added 10.
Connor Looney had 22 for HPU, Chauncey Orr had 21.
Hawaii Pacific opened the second half on an 11-4 run to take the lead, it went back and forth a bit then Orr scored for a 60-59 lead it never relinquished.
“We didn’t shoot as well as we usually do in the first half,” said Vorderbruegge, “but we got it back in the second half.”
Asked about his technical foul, he said, “I probably needed to calm down a little bit, we were all geeked up for this game because we knew it was going to be tough here.
“I think this is the toughest place to play in the conference,” Vorderbruegge said, “and (UHH) plays so hard you never get a chance to breathe. At our place we were up 28 at the half and they outscored us in the second half.”
The Vulcans have a week to get focused for the second half which starts Saturday in St. George, Utah, against Dixie State.
