The Hawai’i Pacific University men’s basketball team won’t be looking for its first upset over an NCAA Division I team this season when it takes on Manoa Valley rival UH on Monday night. The Sharks already have that, with a stunning 79-78 victory at Boise State on Nov. 3.
The UH-HPU tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in BankOh Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center, and the game will be televised live statewide on Spectrum Sports Channel 12 and broadcast live on radio via ESPN 1420AM.
The Sharks (3-1) are riding a three-game winning streak coming off last Friday’s 86-71 victory over Western Washington, while the Warriors (4-2) saw their four-game win streak snapped with an 83-76 home loss to Arizona State last Thursday.
Hawai’i had led, 65-57, with just under eight minutes remaining, but the Sun Devils responded with a stunning 17-4 run over the next five minutes and held on down the stretch.
“There were some key moments in there, where we took some bad shots and had some defensive lapses, and that was the difference in the game,” Warriors coach Eran Ganot said. “Those moments, the two or three minutes of lapses, were significant, and also got them (the Sun Devils) going. Back to work we go.”
Sophomore point guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor said the lapses on offense and defense were tied together.
“Sometimes our offense is like a good defense,” said Hunkin-Claytor, who scored a career-high 18 points. “And when we’re out of position, it’s hard to get rebounds. They went on a stretch, on a run, and we were out of position to get boards.”