The UH-Hilo men’s basketball team was lucky to get its PacWest game against Holy Names in on Thursday night at Hilo Civic.
After three postponements, the Vulcans defeated the Hawks 85-78 before limited spectators in a fan-free policy that extends through January.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 22 points, Max Kunnert 20, Donald McHenry 14, and Kameron Ng 12 for the Vulcans (7-4, 3-1 PacWest), who shot 44% from the field, including 7 of 19 from long distance, and won their third straight.
Edward Gray, a 6-foot-4 guard, scored 23 points, and Austin Carter added 13 to lead the Hawks (4-10, 2-4), who converted 50% from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and lost their second in a row.
The Vulcans struggled to stay in front of Gray, who used his athleticism to race around defenders and soar to the rim.
“It was a tough one. Holy Names has good pieces and one of the best guards in the league. They play with an edge,” UHH coach Kaniela Aiona said. “It’ll be a tough one when we go to their place next time. We hardly practice in a month, and one of the toughest things when you have a long layoff is to find your rhythm and connect, but we were able to do both tonight.”
To start their Hawaii road trip, Holy Names beat Hawaii Pacific 68-66 on Sunday at the Shark Tank on Oahu and lost to Chaminade 78-77 in overtime at McCabe Gym, where Zach McIntire hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left.
The Vulcans lasted played Dec. 12 when they beat HPU 79-67 at Hilo Civic.
Late in the second half, Williams, who scored eight points, drilled a 3-pointer, and Kunnert followed with a 3-ball for a 78-73 lead with 2:50 remaining.
With 1:03 left, the Vulcans went on a 5-0 run, capped by a McHenry slam dunk for an 83-75 lead with 24.5 seconds to go.
Kunnert scored 12 points, including UHH first nine points, Tait-Jones had 11 points, and Ng added seven points off the bench for the Vulcans, who led 41-38 at halftime.
Gray, who averages 18.2 points, per game, scored 11 points on 4 of 4 shooting, and Babacar Thiombane muscled his way around the rim for eight points to lead the Hawks in the first half.
Holy Names shot 50% from the field and constantly attacked the rim. UHH hit 40% from the field but closed with a 9-2 run grab a 41-38 lead at the break. The Vuls didn’t make the extra pass like they normally do, turning a good shot into a better one. They finished with only four assists and six turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Ng buried a 3-pointer, McHenry scored off a turnover, Tait-Jones made two free throws before Thiombane scored in the paint to cut UHH’s lead to 39-38.
Tait-Jones was fouled with 0.5 showing on the clock and buried both free throws.
The UHH women’s game against Holy Names was postponed. UHH’s games against Fresno Pacific on Saturday have been postponed.
On Monday, the UHH women host Biola at noon, followed by the men at 2 p.m. at Hilo Civic. The makeup date for the women’s game against Holy Names has not been set.
