SHARKS DOUSE LATE RUN BY THE PENGUINS, 83-72
BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED JAN 14, 2024
MANOA — Sorry Penguins.
Hawai’i Pacific brought the heat from deep Saturday night.
The Sharks knocked down 14 of 26 attempts from 3-point land to complete their first season-series sweep over Dominican since 2019 with a 83-72 win at the Shark Tank.
Charlie Weber scored 18 points on 50 percent shooting, Melo Sanchez had 16 points and led the team in rebounds (nine) and assists (four) while Tyrease Terrell connected on five triples to finish with 15 points to power HPU, who improved to 9-5 overall and 4-2 in PacWest play.
The win helped the home team rebound from a heartbreaking 83-82 loss to Academy of Art just two days prior.
It was a a slow start for the Sharks however.
The visiting Penguins (5-11, 2-6) had the early advantage with a 13-5 lead four minutes into the game before HPU started cooking from distance.
A fast break triple by Ethan Taafe assisted by Sanchez gave the Sharks their first lead at 16-15. A pair of jumpers by Brendon Johnson put Dominican back up ahead until a 3-point shot by Weber that was assisted by Kordel Ng put HPU up for good, 23-21, at the 5:55 mark of the first half.
Weber’s go-ahead 3-pointer ignited a 16-0 run to close out the first half as the Sharks took a 36-21 lead into the intermission.
HPU led by as many as 26 points in the second half, with Terrell’s fifth trey of the night giving the home team a 73-47 lead with 8:27 remaining in regulation.
The Sharks were able to get some minutes for the end of their bench late in the game before a late run by the Penguins saw them trim the deficit to 10 with under two minutes to play in the game.
Free throws by Josh Niusulu and Diggy Winbush ultimately helped HPU close out the game at the line.
Marcus McCutchen, Brendon Johnson and Dale Currie each scored 14 points to lead Dominican in the loss.
The Sharks will next take the court on Thursday when they travel to take on crosstown rival Chaminade at McCabe Gymnasium.
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL LASQUERO
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