Hawaii
Hawaii hoops survives a scare from the Sharks of HPU
The University of Hawai‘i men’s basketball team narrowly avoided an upset Tuesday night, holding off Division II Hawai‘i Pacific 67-63 in a tense contest at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Sharks, representing the PacWest Conference, gave the Rainbow Warriors all they could handle, building a five-point lead at halftime behind a stellar performance from Sherman Brashear, who finished with a team-high 22 points.
Hawai‘i clawed back thanks to an impressive night from beyond the arc, sinking 15 of 31 three-point attempts. Leading the charge was Kody Williams, who scored a career-high 24 points, including seven three-pointers. Ryan Rapp contributed 12 points, hitting four shots from deep.
With the win, the Rainbow Warriors improve to 5-1, wrapping up their season-opening homestand. Their next game will be on the road against Grand Canyon University next Tuesday.
For the Sharks, led by second-year head coach Jesse Nakanishi, the focus shifts to the Hoops in Hawai‘i Thanksgiving Classic, where they will open against Grace Christian on Friday night.