The No. 4 Hawaii Pacific men’s basketball team earned its first NCAA tournament win in school history win a 73-61 victory over Sonoma State at RIMAC Arena in La Jolla, Calif.
The Sharks (29-2) used a balanced offensive effort to down the Seawolves (20-9), who entered the game allowing just 57.2 points per game, the lowest average in NCAA Division II. Five players scored in double figures in Jordan Martin (15), Colfax Nordquist (13), Chauncey Orr (12), Connor Looney (12) and Clayton Guy (11). Armani Nicolis and Nathan Molony-Benjamin each led Sonoma State with nine points.
With the win, the Sharks advance to the NCAA Division II West Region semifinals where they will face off against Chico State, which beat Western Washington 96-83 earlier Friday. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. today, and live streaming will be available via host school UC San Diego on UCSDTritons.tv.
>> The HPU women’s basketball team lost to No. 2 Alaska Anchorage 63-56 in its opening round matchup. The Sharks (21-7) were led by Spencer Gray’s 15 points and four assists. Autummn Williams led Alaska Anchorage with 23 points and Mid-Pacific alum Kiki Robertson added seven points, six rebounds and five assists for the Seawolves (30-1).
Kahuku to play football game in Las Vegas
Two-time defending OIA champion Kahuku will play in Las Vegas for the second year in a row.
The Red Raiders will play defending Utah 5A state champion Bingham in the second game of the inaugural Polynesian Football Classic at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
Liberty (Nev.), which has a heavy Hawaii presence on its roster and played both Mililani and Saint Louis in 2015, will play Alta (Utah) in the first game.
“It’s a good opportunity for the kids, and they’ll get the exposure and a chance to show the nation what they can do,” Kahuku interim coach Makoa Freitas said.
The Red Raiders went 11-2 last season. The only two blemishes were 35-7 at eventual national champion Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and 30-14 to Saint Louis in the inaugural Open Division championship game.
In 2007, Kahuku visited Utah and lost 27-0 to Bingham.
Liberty, the Nevada team playing in the opener, played two Hawaii teams in 2015, losing to Saint Louis 43-16 and beating Mililani 76-53. The Patriots had 13 players from Hawaii on their roster for those games.
“The Polynesian Football Classic will be an outstanding platform to celebrate culture and provide additional exposure for our student-athletes,” Freitas said in a news release.
Swish play tonight after All-Star game
The Hawaii Swish resume their American Basketball Association schedule tonight against the Orange County Novastars at 7:30 p.m. at the Blaisdell Arena, following the Geremy Robinson Senior Classic.
Opening ceremonies for the senior classic all-star games begin at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults.
SandBows win twice at Queen’s
The fifth-ranked Hawaii beach volleyball team opened Queen’s Cup play with two victories at Queen’s Beach on Friday.
The Rainbow Wahine (6-0), off to their best start in program history, held on against No. 9 Stetson 3-2 and downed Loyola Marymount 4-1. The SandBows’ losses against the Hatters both came in three sets at Flights 1 and 5.
Hawaii indoor setter Norene Iosia made her beach debut in the dual against the Lions, teaming with Hannah Zalopany for a 21-17, 21-18 win over Emma Doud-Veronica Nederend at Flight 4.
In Friday’s other match, LMU upset Stetson 3-2.
The round-robin tournament concludes today at Queen’s Beach. Hawaii plays LMU at 10 a.m. and Stetson at 3 p.m. The Lions (3-3) and Hatters (1-4) meet at 12:30 p.m.
UH water polo falls short at UC Irvine
The No. 8 Hawaii water polo team fell victim to a last minute game-winning goal in an 8-7 road loss to No. 5 UC Irvine in the Big West opener for both teams on Friday.
Mary Brooks’ goal with 54 seconds left broke a 7-7 tie, propelling the Anteaters (14-6) to their fifth straight win. It was her third goal of the game, which was a team high.
Irene Gonzalez and Chloe Barr both recorded hat tricks for the Rainbow Wahine, who fell to 8-8 for the season.
