Vulcan Wahine Fall to Eagles

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo women’s basketball team was a few field goals and a few bodies short during a 61-51 loss to Concordia on Monday, Dec. 4, 2017,  at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

The Vulcans had four players foul out and did not score a field goal in the final five-and-a-half minutes, as they fell to 1-1 in the Pacific West Conference and to 2-2 overall.

The Eagles won all three games of their trip to Hawai‘i , improving to 5-2 on the year and to 3-0 in conference play.

UH Hilo was led by Safia Scheikh’s 12 points, and Amber Vaughn added 10. But the Vulcans shot just 25% from the field and hit only four of 19 three-point attempts. Asia Smith, Allie Navarette, Danielle Dacosta and Sara Shimizu all fouled out.

Kennedy Fulcher and Montana Walters led Concordia with 15 and 13 points respectively.

The Vulcans jumped out to a fast lead, scoring the first eight points of the contest on a lay-up by Dacosta and back-to-back three-pointers from Sheikh. That took just two minutes and 30 seconds, and the Vulcans still had a 10-2 lead with 6:35 to go in the first quarter after a pair of Navarette free throws.

But the Eagles scored 11 of the next 13 points and took the lead for the first time with 10 seconds left in the quarter on two free throws by Walters and led at the end of the 10 minutes, 13-12. They held that lead through the second period, but not by more than five points. The Vulcans pulled back to within two points right before intermission on free throws by Kailani Jones to make the count 23-21 at intermission.

Both teams warmed up in the third quarter. The Eagles outscored their hosts 23-21 in the period and Concordia took a 44-40 lead into the final stanza on a Walters lay-up with just two seconds left. Three minutes into the fourth quarter, the Vulcans lost the services of post Smith, who fouled out with six points and five rebounds in just 15 minutes of play.

Then the Vulcans went cold in the fourth. They got a reverse lay-up early from Alyssa Movchan and another basket by Sheikh a few minutes later, but they wouldn’t get another field goal the rest of the night. They still only trailed by two (52-50) after two Vaughn free throws with 3:50 minutes remaining,

But Dacosta, Navarette and Shimizu soon fouled out and the Vulcans couldn’t find the basket the rest of the way. Concordia hit their free throws down the stretch to seal the deal.

UH Hilo also played again without last year’s leading scorer Kim Schmelz, who is out with an injury.

The Vulcans will now get a little time off for final exams before traveling to Honolulu to take on Chaminade on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017.