HONOLULU, Hawaii  -- Pacific West Conference play resumed for Vanguard men's basketball Thursday night in the program's inaugural league business trip to Hawaii.  The Lions squared off against the Sharks of Hawaii Pacific, and though the Blue and Gold made a couple of runs, the Sharks would lead for the majority of the game in an 80-72 win for the hosts.  VU fell to 8-3 overall and 2-3 in PacWest action, while HPU improved to 7-6, 2-1.
 
What Happened?  Despite Leonard Turner burying the first VU triple on the team's opening possession, the Sharks were stronger in the first 10 minutes.  HPU had a 22-12 lead by the 12:29 mark of the frame and the gap hit 13 points (29-16) with 9:50 remaining.  The Lions were able to trim the deficit some, as both Bryson Metz and Jackson Larsen hit jumpers.  A lfew minutes later, a layup by Anthony Tello would bring things under double digits at 31-22 with 6:22 left in the half.
 
HPU responded with a three and and the home side would lead by around 10 points until the final 10 seconds of the half, as Metz dished to Micah Swartz who knocked down a jumper to cut the lead to 38-30 at the break.

VU shot 37.5% from the field in the first 20 minutes while the Sharks had a 53.6% rate.  The Lions went 4-for-4 from the free throw line and held a 4-2 lead in offensive boards.
 
Hope did emerge at the start of the second period, as the Lions engineered a 9-2 run.  Larsen started the scoring with a pair of free throws and Turner drained another triple to cut the margin to 38-35.  Short-range conversions by Larsen and Metz kept the Sharks honest, as the HPU lead sat at 40-39 with 16:18 left in the contest.  The Sharks tightly gripped a one or two-possession lead for a short spell, with Tello making a layup to put Vanguard down one again at 45-44. 
 
Unfortunately, that would be as close as it got.  The Sharks made a 12-4 gallop over the next three minutes to lead 57-48 and the Lions would not get within a possession the rest of the game.  The squad managed to get the gap to under 10 points on a handful of occasions, but the Sharks had an answer each time in the 80-72 victory.
 
VU shot 42.3% (30-71) from the field in the game and went 4-for-21 from downtown for a 19% clip.  HPU shot 51.8% in the second half to finish with a 52.7% mark in the game and went 8-of-21 from three-point range for a 38.1% rate.  The rebound battle was nearly even, as HPU won 37-36, but Vanguard owned a 13-6 edge in offensive boards.  As a result, VU had more second-chance points, leading 17-2 in the game.  But bench points propelled HPU to the win, as the Sharks held a 28-4 edge in the category.
 
Larsen set a season-high with 21 points on the night with eight field goals and five free throws.  He also finished second with eight rebounds.  Both Tello and Turner had 15 points, with Turner accounting for three of the team's four triples.  Metz had 12 points, paced all players with a season-high 13 rebounds, and had four helpers.
 
 
What's Next?  The Blue and Gold stay on the island and drive over the Chaminade for a 6:00 p.m. PST game.