Silverswords cruise past the Sharks, 78-64

Silverswords cruise past the Sharks, 78-64

Dec 14, 2024

Silverswords cruise past the Sharks, 78-64

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 14, 2024

This one turned into a track meet on dry land.

Chaminade handled cross town rival Hawai’i Pacific in convincing fashion with a 78-64 win Saturday evening in a PacWest conference matchup before a crowd of 237 at McCabe Gymnasium.

A quartert of players finished in double figures for the Silverswords, who improved to 7-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

Kent King had 19 points off the bench and Roland Banks II notched a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead Chaminade.

Also scoring in double digits were Jackson Last with 11 points and Jamir Thomas added 10 more off the bench.

A trio of players finished with 14 points or more for the Sharks, who dropped to 5-5 and 1-1.

Charlie Weber had 16 points off the bench, Sherman Brashear 15 and Joshua West for HPU.

Hawai’i Pacific shoots past Hawai’i Hilo in PacWest opener

Hawai’i Pacific shoots past Hawai’i Hilo in PacWest opener

Dec 6, 2024

Hawai’i Pacific G Morgan Hawkins pushes the ball up the floor. The freshman led the Sharks with 13 points in a win over Hawai’i-Hilo to open PacWest play. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i Pacific shoots past Hawai’i Hilo in PacWest opener

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 6, 2024

HONOLULU – Starting conference play the right way. 

The Hawai’i Pacific University women’s basketball team kicked off the PacWest conference schedule with a win over the University of Hawai’i-Hilo on Friday evening, 59-50. Freshman guard Morgan Hawkins led the way for the Sharks, scoring 13 points while tallying five rebounds and a pair of steals in the victory. 

The Vulcans had eight total active players for team’s first road game of the year as early-season injuries have piled up, seeing senior forwards Erica Ingram and Noelle Su’a-Godinet and junior guard Kalie Cruz not make the trip to face off against the Sharks. After missing the season opener against HPU, a rare non-conference matchup between the PacWest programs, Keirstyn Agonias made her presence felt with 11 points to help keep UH-Hilo competitive until the final buzzer sounded in the loss. 

The Sharks started slowly, seeing the visitors take an early 4-0 lead behind UC Irvine transfer Caiyle Kaupu’s back-to-back buckets. Ella Berge and Hawkins each would split trips to the free throw line before Iowa State transfer MaryKate King swiped the ball and took it in for a breakaway layup to knot the game at four. 

Back-to-back triples from Serenity Santos and King gave HPU (3-2) a five-point lead with 5:35 left to play in the opening quarter, continuing to display the improvement from long range for the Sharks this season. Erika Glenn drilled the team’s third triple of the frame a few minutes later as Hawai’i Pacific took a 17-10 lead after 10 minutes of play. 

Hawai’i-Hilo sprinted out of the gates in the second quarter, using a 6-1 run over the first two minutes of the frame to pull back within a basket, but a three from Ella Berge and fastbreak finish by Hawkins quickly restored the seven-point advantage for Hawai’i Pacific. Freshman forward KeanuMarie HuiHui answered back with a 3-pointer of her own for the Vulcans, trying to keep the visitors afloat after Kaupu picked up two early fouls. 

The Sharks would outscore the Vulcans by five points to close out the first half, taking a 31-22 lead into the locker room by drilling all six free throw tries and holding UH-Hilo without a made field goal for the final 4:31of the half. 

Hawkins came out in a hurry to start the third quarter, scoring the first six points for HPU as the lead extended to double figures for the first time all game. Seven straight points from Serenity Santos and another Berge 3-pointer extended HPU’s lead all the way to 16 by the end of the frame, taking a 48-32 advantage into the final 10 minutes as the Vulcans made 2-of-15 shots in the period. 

The shooting stayed hot for Hawai’i Pacific into the fourth, keeping Hawai’i-Hilo at a distance for much of the final frame before one final push from Agonias and HuiHui brought the Vulcans within single digits before the final buzzer, 59-50. 

KeanuMarie HuiHui led the Vulcans with 15 points, hitting 5-of-11 of her shots as the freshman displayed reasons for fans to be hopeful about her future in a Hawai’i-Hilo uniform. Agonias and Caiyle Kaupu each chipped in 11 points in the second straight loss to the Sharks for UHH. 

HPU senior Ella Berge added 10 points and seven rebounds as she continued her hot start to the 2024-25 season. Sophomore wing Serenity Santos chipped in 10 points, the second time in three games that the San Joaquin Delta (CA) transfer has broken double figures. 

The Sharks will be back in action on December 14, taking the short trip over to Chaminade to face the Silverswords in the first game of a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader. Tip-off for the women’s game is scheduled for 2 p.m. HT with the men’s game set to take place right after around 4 p.m. HT. Both games will be broadcast live on the Hawaii Sports Radio Network, 95.1 FM, AM 760 and streaming on hawaiisportsradio.com and will be posted for on-demand listeners. 

Hawai’i survives Hawai’i Pacific scare behind Williams’ career night

Hawai’i survives Hawai’i Pacific scare behind Williams’ career night

Nov 26, 2024

Hawai’i G Kody Williams (0) pulls up for a jumper over HPU C Jonas Visser (22) in a contest between the two Mānoa-based programs. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i survives Hawai’i Pacific scare behind Williams’ career night

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 26, 2024

HONOLULU – With the Midas Touch. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team escaped with a narrow 67-63 victory over Hawai’i Pacific University on Tuesday night, using a scorching hot 15-of-31 shooting display from long distance to sink the Sharks. Kody Williams led the effort for the Rainbow Warriors, pouring in a career-best 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting from downtown. 

The Sharks (2-3) were led by senior guard Sherman Brashear, who recorded 22 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Jonas Visser added 14 points and eight boards in what will count as an exhibition for HPU and not as a loss against the record. 

Hawai’i (5-1) saw the game count towards the team’s overall record in what was the final non-Division I matchup on the 2024-25 schedule. The Rainbow Warriors defeated both Hawai’i-Hilo and Chaminade in competitive exhibition games to begin the year before playing against Life Pacific out of the NAIA for the regular season opener in the Rainbow Classic. 

The Sharks came out of the gates looking less like a team in an exhibition and more like a team on a mission, jumping out to an early 11-5 lead behind buckets from Visser and junior guard Joshua West. After an Avi Halpert three pushed the HPU lead to nine, the Rainbow Warriors started to find success as Gytis Nemeikša snapped a near two-minute scoring drought and Ryan Rapp drilled three straight triples to push Hawai’i in front with just under 12 minutes left in the half, 16-14. 

Each side traded baskets over the next few minutes, seeing Hawai’i go in front by as many as four before HPU rattled off a 13-0 run to take a nine-point advantage with 2:39 remaining before the break. Halpert capped the run with an and-one finish through contact, drawing the second foul on UH starting guard Kody Williams while giving the Sharks a 34-25 lead. 

Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot stuck with Williams despite the foul woes, proving smart as the 6-foot guard drilled a pair of threes in the final two minutes of the half to help pull the Rainbow Warriors within five at the break, 38-33. 

Williams stayed hot through halftime, drilling another two 3-pointers to push Hawai’i back in front just three minutes out of halftime, 40-38. West scored the first points of the second half for HPU with a layup to knot it at 40, but another two triples from Williams helped give the Rainbow Warriors some breathing room with an eight-point lead. 

Nemeikša and Rapp got back in on the fun, adding makes from long range of their own to push Hawai’i’s lead into double figures for the first time with under 12 minutes to play. Sherman Brashear started to heat up for HPU after the under-12-minute media timeout, drilling three straight 3-pointers to bring the Sharks within a handful with 8:52 remaining.

Makes from behind the arc by Pavle Kuzmanovic and Brashear brought the Sharks’ deficit to two with just under three minutes to play as the Division II squad eyed the first win against their Mānoa rivals since 1985. A free throw by Tanner Christensen gave Hawai’i a three-point lead with 2:21 left, but Visser cut it to 62-61 with 36 seconds remaining with his first points since the first half. 

After a timeout, HPU fouled immediately and sent Marcus Greene to the line for a pair of free throws with 29 ticks left on the clock. The senior guard stepped up and drilled both to put the Rainbow Warriors back up by three. 

The Sharks would see their upset dreams dissolve following the team’s final timeout of the night as Charlie Weber tossed it away on a miscommunication with Brasher and Kody Williams hit a couple of foul shots to go up two possessions. Visser made it a three-point game with five seconds left, but Tanner Christensen iced it from the line with a 1-for-2 trip to help Hawai’i survive, 67-63. 

The Rainbow Warriors were able to win for the fifth time in six games at home to open the season despite losing the battle on the glass to the Sharks, 39-38. While UH posted a season-low eight points in the point throughout the night, the 15 makes from long range proved to be the major difference. 

Joshua West chipped in nine points, eight rebounds, a steal and an assist for HPU before fouling out with more than two minutes left in regulation. The Sharks led for nearly half the game and showed off major defensive chops until the end, holding Hawai’i to one made field goal on 13 attempts to close the game. 

The Sharks return to action on Friday, hosting Grace Christian (NAIA) in the first day of the men’s side of the Hoops in Hawaii Classic. The Rainbow Warriors will hit the road for the first time this year, traveling to the continent to face Grand Canyon on December 3. 

Pagan keeps Kailua-to-HPU baseball pipeline going

Pagan keeps Kailua-to-HPU baseball pipeline going

Nov 13, 2024

 

Pagan keeps Kailua-to-HPU baseball pipeline going

BY MICHAEL LASQUERO | HSRN
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 13, 2024

WAIKIKI — From a Surfrider to a Shark.

Kailua senior Rayvin Pagan inked his commitment to play for the Hawai’i Pacific University baseball team Wednesday morning at the Honolulu Elks Lodge in the annual Hawai’i state National Letter of Intent Signing Day.

The 6-foot utility player follows in the footsteps of 2024 All-OIA Division I-East Player of the Year Kaimana Burgo, who is currently playing fall ball with the Sharks. Both Pagan and Burgo helped the Surfriders claim their 15th league title in April.

“First of all, glory and thanks to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” said Pagan. “I just wanted to stay home. I love the weather, I love the coaches and I didn’t want to leave this island. I want to thank my dad, my mom, grandmas, my two grandpas, my uncles, aunties, cousins, my friends and everybody that supported me.”

The all-time HPU leader in career saves that is currently on the Sharks’ roster in Ryan Inouye, is also a Kailua alumnus.

“It’s great, I can play with the boys, feel like Kailua High School again,” Pagan said of playing with former teammates at the collegiate level.

Pagan earned second team All-OIA D1 East honors as a first baseman earlier this year after starting off on a tear before finishing with a .267 batting average. His best game came in a 9-1 win over Moanalua on March 30 when he drove in three runs and had a home run.

The Sharks are projecting to use him as a pitcher on the next level. Pagan wasn’t use much (six innings pitched) at that position with a deep pitching staff in 2024, but as a sophomore he went 3-0 in 18 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts and a 1.96 ERA against four walks and 14 hits given up.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Rayvin and his family to HPU,” Sharks coach Dane Fujinaka said. “HPU has had a lot of success with players from Kailua. Former players Kale Sumner, Dylan Kurahashi-Choy Foo and current players Ryan Inouye and Kaimana Burgo have all made their mark at HPU.”

Kailua has won its last nine OIA titles under alumnus and former University of Hawai’i player Corey Ishigo, whose teams usually have a “us against the world” mentality.

It’s a mindset that Fujinaka is excited to have in the clubhouse.“I know Kailua boys are coached hard and are tough, making it very easy to coach them when they get to us. Rayvin checks every box and we are pumped to continue to have that Kailua pipeline.”

Kailua’s Rayvin Pagan (center) poses for a photo Wednesday morning at the signing day event.

Moanalua’s Kyler Shojinaga (center) will also play for the HPU Sharks baseball team after his high school career.

Shojinaga bolsters HPU infield for class of 2025

Another future HPU baseball player that also took part in the signing day event was Moanalua’s Kyler Shojinaga.

He spent his sophomore season at Mid-Pacific and saw some time at pitcher, but Fujinaka says he will play in the infield when he joins the Sharks’ roster.

“Kyler was our first 2025 commit. We offered him as early as we possibly could. Just his focus and dedication alone separates him from his peers. Kyler’s defense is game changing. He’s as sure handed of a shortstop as we’ve ever had here at HPU. Look for a gold glove at some point in Kyler’s career here at HPU.”

UH-Hilo pulls away from host Hawai’i Pacific in four sets

UH-Hilo pulls away from host Hawai’i Pacific in four sets

Oct 21, 2024

UH-Hilo pulls away from host Hawai’i Pacific in four sets

BY HSRN STAFF
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 21, 2024

The University of Hawai’i-Hilo Vulcans women’s volleyball team made sure to come away with a win on their trip to Oahu over the weekend.

After taking nationally-ranked Chaminade to five sets on Saturday, UH-Hilo came into the Shark Tank and took home a four-set win over Hawai’i Pacific Sunday afternoon in a PacWest match.

Set scores were 25-16, 24-26, 25-15, 25-22.

The Vulcans (14-7 overall, 9-2 PacWest) were led by a trio of hitters that finished with double-digit kills. Chase Koepke led the way with 17 kills on 30 swings.

Taylor Tullo followed with 15 kills and Samara Cruz had 12 kills to round out the top attackers for UH-Hilo.

The Sharks (1-16, 1-10) only had one player in double-digit kills in Sofia Cooper. She took swings from all three positions in the front row and had 11 kills on 23 attempts.

For her efforts, Cooper earned “Timmy T’s Grinder of the Game” honors in the loss.

Sharks Weekly: Spotlight on HPU Men’s Soccer

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Sharks Weekly: Spotlight on HPU Men's Soccer HSRN STAFF | HONOLULUPUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 11, 2025This episode of Sharks Weekly spotlighted Hawai‘i Pacific University men’s soccer with head coach Chris Fisher and student-athletes Kelly Takara and...

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Sharks Weekly: Spotlight on HPU Cross Country

by | Sep 4, 2025

Sharks Weekly: Spotlight on HPU Women’s CROSS COUNTRY HSRN STAFF | HONOLULUPUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 4, 2025This week’s episode of Sharks Weekly, hosted by Bailey Furman, spotlighted HPU Cross Country with head coach Kevin Schwarz and student-athletes...

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Nationally ranked Chaminade waltzes past Hawai’i Pacific in four sets

Nationally ranked Chaminade waltzes past Hawai’i Pacific in four sets

Oct 19, 2024

No. 10 Chaminade celebrates after a point during 3-1 victory at Hawai’i Pacific. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Nationally ranked Chaminade waltzes past Hawai’i Pacific in four sets 

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 19, 2024

HONOLULU – Keep on keeping on. 

The Hawai’i Pacific University women’s volleyball team fell at home in four sets (25-23, 25-16, 25-11, 25-18) against No. 10 Chaminade (16-4, 9-0 PacWest) on Friday night, taking the first set against the Silverswords before dropping the next three for the Sharks’ sixth consecutive loss. Chaminade graduate setter Grace Talpash earned “Timmy T’s Grinder of the Game” honors after tallying 30 assists and seven digs in the victory for the Silverswords. 

Graduate student Grace Talpash sets up a teammate for an attack during Chaminade’s 4-set win at Hawai’i Pacific. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

HPU (1-15, 1-9 PacWest) started strong by taking the opening frame, 25-23, behind a .321 hitting percentage and only three errors as a unit. Chaminade committed nine errors in the first set, helping the Sharks snap a 16-set losing streak to the Swords that had been going for the better part of three years.  

The Silverswords looked closer to the nationally notable form they have shown this year in the second set, scoring 12 of the final 17 points in the frame to knot the match at one apiece. 

It was more of the same in the third set for Chaminade, hitting .435 as a team while dominating the Sharks in the stanza with a 25-11 victory to take a 2-1 set lead. 

Hawai’i Pacific showed some grit and toughness in the fourth and final set before finally dropping the frame, 25-18. Chaminade displayed defensive chops in the stanza with a run of five blocks in six points, though HPU closed out the set scoring four of the final six points of the match. 

The Sharks were led by Ella Schoene’s eight kills on 14 swings as the sophomore committed one single error across her four sets of action, adding a team-high four block assists for the hosts. Marley Sandoval added eight kills of her own on 26 attempts, committing eight hitting errors on the night as well. 

Chaminade returns to action on Saturday night against UH-Hilo, looking to remain unbeaten in PacWest play. HPU will play host to the Vulcans on the following day, seeing UH-Hilo visit the Shark Tank for a 2:00 p.m. match on Sunday.