Reinforcements have arrived for UH-Hilo women’s basketball team, but still no game.
The school announced late Sunday’s afternoon that the Vulcans’ 2022 debut Monday against Biola at Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium was postponed because of “Pacific West Conference health and safety protocols,” the sixth consecutive game the UHH women have had scrapped because of issues related to COVID-19. A makeup date is still pending, the release said, and the women are scheduled to play Thursday at home against Academy of Art.
That leaves a single men’s game Monday at 2 p.m. as the Vulcans (7-4, 3-1) face Biola (11-2, 5-1), which was picked No. 2 in the preseason poll, three spots ahead of UHH, a team that returns its entire starting lineup. No spectators are allowed.
Alex Wright, a 6-5 junior guard, leads the Eagles with 15.6 points per game on 54% shooting from the floor, and Michael Bagatourian, a 6-7 senior forward, is next with 14.8 ppg on 49% shooting.
UHH beat Holy Names 85-78 on Thursday at Hilo Civic, where sophomore forward Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones scored 22 points, and freshman guard Max Kunnert added 20 points.
The Vulcans won despite the absence of 6-7 sophomore forward Ethan Jetter, who averages 7.4 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 19 minutes. But Jetter, who’s built like a linebacker, provides tough interior defense.
When opposing post players attempt to back him down, Jetter doesn’t easily give up ground for close-range jump hooks.
The Vulcans also struggled against 6-5 guard Edward Gray, who scored 23 points on 9 of 9 shooting and often zipped around defenders to attack the rim.
Jetter’s presence should be more of an obstacle for Wright and other rim attackers.
Outside of Tait-Jones and Kunnert, one key reason for UHH’s win over the Hawks was sophomore guard Kameron Ng’s strong game (12 points on 4 of 9 shooting in 28 minutes) when point guard Darren Williams got in foul trouble.
“Kam stepped up for us when Darren got in foul trouble,” coach Kaniela Aiona said. “He played a good game and hit some big shots for us.”
UHH continues its homestand Thursday against Academy of Art on Thursday, and Dominican on Monday, Jan. 17. It’s a chance for the Vulcans to climb the conference standings after dropping crucial West Region losses to Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage, and a PacWest setback to Concordia.
If UHH doesn’t win the PacWest title, which comes with an automatic qualifier to the West Regional, there’s a rather slim chance to earn one of the five at-large bids from the West Region poll. The CCAA and GNAC champions also ean AQ postseason beths.
Aiona already understands that fact. But he pointed out the most important fact of all.
“I hope we don’t catch COVID,” he said. “And I hope Biola doesn’t catch it either.”
UHH women’s coach David Kaneshiro would surely agree.
It’s been a long time since his Vulcans (5-2, 2-1 PacWest) played a game, a 76-73 upset of No. 5 Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 19 at Hilo Civic, to be exact. Biola was looking to cap a 3-0 trip to the islands with their third game in five days.
On Thursday, Kaneshiro hopes to welcome reinforcements with the return of 5-foot-11 junior forward Bree Olson and 5-9 freshman guard Noelle Sua-Godinet, a Kamehameha-Kapalama graduate.
The pair will deepen a lineup led by junior guard Mandi Kawaha, who averages 18.9 points and 35 minutes per game, and senior center Nikki Miller, who averages 11.3 ppg, 11.6 rebounds, and 29 minutes per game.
“Bree will bring energy. She loves to compete, works really hard at practice and in games,” Kaneshiro said. “Noelle will fill in the front line for us and give Jenna (Waki) a break. That’s really not her position.”
Waki, a 5-6 junior guard, is having a solid season with 8.3 ppg and 50% shooting from 3-point range in 31 minutes per game. Sara Shimizu has also been a strong contributor to the team’s success with 13.3 ppg on 47% shooting in 31 minutes per game.