IRVINE, Calif. — UH-Hilo’s basketball teams tipped off a brief, Pacific West Conference action California road trip, splitting a doubleheader against Concordia University Irvine on Tuesday.
The Vulcans will continue on in Southern California taking on Azusa Pacific today and Point Loma on Saturday.
UH-Hilo will return to the isle to host Dominican (Jan. 11) and Academy of Art (Jan. 15).
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WOMEN: CUI 62- UH-HILO 55
A late-game 13-1 run surged the Vulcans to within striking distance, but the Golden Eagles managed to cling on with free throws as the UH-Hilo women’s basketball team fell to CUI, 62-55.
The Vulcans opened the top of the second half down by 17 on the scoreboard and clawed their way back to within ten points with ten minutes remaining. Scoring was stagnant until the game clock passed the five-minute mark when Kaile Cruz hit a layup then forced a turnover with Kamalu Kamakawiwoole converting a three-point play on the end for a quick five points.
UH-Hilo thrice got within four points — on a Keirstyn Agonias steal-and-score, a Jazmine Soto three-pointer and two free throws by Cruz — but the Golden Eagles responded each time to hold on for the victory. CUI scored 11 of its 15 fourth-quarter points by sinking shots at the charity stripe.
It was the second consecutive game the Vulcans found the hot stroke late in the game, shooting six of eight down the final stretch against the Golden Eagles.
In contrast, CUI outscored UH-Hilo a combined 24-4 (ten of 16 from the field) through the latter half of both the first and second quarters of Tuesday’s contest.
UH-Hilo moved to a 4-6 overall record (1-3 PacWest) while CUI moved to 3-3 in conference play (5-7 overall). The two teams will meet again Feb. 10 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
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MEN: UH-HILO 53 – CUI 51
Carlos Ramsey Jr. drove down the left side and hit a tough one-on-one layup with one second to go as the UH-Hilo Men’s Basketball team sank CUI 53-51.
The Vulcans maintained the lead for the majority of the evening and seemed to be pulling away with a 7-0 run through the latter parts of the second half.
However, CUI managed to bring the score right back with a 10-2 run through the last five minutes of play.
UH-Hilo came up empty on a fourth-chance opportunity as CUI’s Kobe Sanders managed to tie the score at 51 down the other end of the court with 23.5 seconds remaining.
Coming out of a timeout, the Vulcans put the ball in Ramsey Jr.’s hands as he milked the clock down before slicing his way past CUI’s Jackson Tucker for the game-winning score. CUI’s ensuing inbounded play was overthrown as UH-Hilo prevailed to open the 2024 calendar year.
Ramsey Jr. led the Vulcans with 15 points as Kalique Mitchell put up 11 points and 14 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
Tuesday’s victory was a big response to falling short on the other end of a buzzer-beater defeat to Biola just days prior.
Charles Elzie III came up with the late-game heroics to split two defenders down the lane to tie the game with seven seconds to go before the Vulcans fell on the other end of the court on a last-second shot.
Against CUI, Elzie III took the opening tip-off and nailed a mid-range jumper for the first score of the game while reaching a personal milestone of 1,000 career points.
The Tacoma, Washington native played his first four seasons of college ball at The College of Idaho in the NAIA, putting up 878 points and culminating with winning the 2022-23 NAIA National Championship and the NAIA Chuck Taylor MVP award.
UH-Hilo moved to a 10-4 overall record (4-1 PacWest) while Concordia University Irvine moved to 4-2 in conference play (7-5 overall).
Like their women’s teams, the pair rematch Feb. 10 in Hilo.