Hawaii Pacific holds off Vanguard in PacWest quarterfinals

Who wins when you pit Lions versus Sharks?

The No. 4-seeded Hawaii Pacific University men’s basketball team used a big second half start to down No. 5-seed Vanguard inside Golden Gymnasium on Thursday afternoon, advancing from the PacWest quarterfinals with a 64-59 victory over the Lions.

Senior guard Joshua West turned in his second double-double of the year to power the Sharks to their first postseason victory since 2017, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to go along with five assists, two steals and a pair of blocks in 35 minutes of action.

Senior forward Quinton McCullough followed along with a 15-point, 10-rebound performance of his own, registering his third double-double of the season and first since December 2 in a loss against Chaminade.

A slow start from the floor by HPU allowed the Lions to take a slim one-point advantage as all-PacWest selections Quentin Meza and Joshua West failed to make a field goal over the opening 15 minutes. Helped by a perfect performance at the charity stripe, the Sharks remained within striking distance while the two standout guards figured out the Vanguard defense.

West finished the first half with a bang (and a bank) as he sliced to the rim for a layup to give HPU the lead with 4:16 left before the half and followed it up with an assist to a wide-open Nemanja Sarenac for three and a banked-in 3-pointer himself to send the Sharks into the break in front, 31-29.

McCullough and West took turns scoring for HPU when play resumed, helping the No. 4 seed maintain a three-point advantage after five minutes of second half action. The Sharks shot the lead to 10 as Quentin Meza got in on the fun with his first 3-pointer of the afternoon before Maj Dusanic followed it up with an and-one to put HPU ahead double figures in a game that previously hadn’t seen either side lead by more than three.

The Sharks maintained a 10-point advantage until the PacWest’s leading scorer Erik Howlin took over for the Lions and scored seven straight points to make it a 55-52 game with 5:22 remaining.

After a timeout to slow the momentum of the Lions, HPU got a much-needed shot in the arm with Meza’s second 3-pointer of the day and a wild finish by West to go back up by seven with four minutes to play.

West’s bucket would be the final field goal for Hawaii Pacific over the final four minutes. McCullough and West drilled all four free throw attempts late to ice the win despite a late push from Howlin and the Lions.

Howlin finished as the lone scorer in double figures for Vanguard, dropping a game-high 26 points in the loss as he went 11-for-11 at the free throw line. Bryson Metz and Sammy Howlin each added nine points for the Lions, who shot under 32% from the field after halftime.

Hawaii Pacific won the battle on the glass, 35-29, while forcing 10 turnovers and giving the ball away 13 times. The Sharks were a perfect 15-for-15 at the charity stripe in the win, the first time this season they’ve gone an entire game without a single missed free throw.

Hawaii Pacific advances to Friday’s PacWest semifinal round, facing off against tournament host and top-seeded Point Loma at 12:45 p.m. HT/2:45 pm. PT. The Sharks and Sea Lions split their two regular season meetings, each winning on the other’s home floor in February.