HILO, Hawaii – Kaylee Byon's near triple-double paced Vanguard (12-2, 8-1) in the foul-filled affair to overcome the spirited Vulcans (5-9, 3-6) by a count of 60-44.
Byon put up 14 points while falling one board and one assist shy of the coveted achievement. Emma Schaaf did much of her work early, finishing with a 10pts/10reb double-double for her second of the season.
Shayla O'Neil and Halle Si'i each produced nine points off the bench with three offensive rebounds apiece to help Vanguard pick up 22 as a team.
Defensively, Vanguard forced 20 turnovers on an opponent for the ninth time in 14 games, and held the Vulcans to just 18.8% from downtown.
Kaile Cruz for Hilo put in work, with her 23 points being more than half of her team's total.
What Happened?:
It is no secret that road trips through the Aloha State often see teams with at least one blemish. Vanguard, recognizing the opportunity to do what few teams are able to do, opened this game looking for the clean sweep.
VU's top-ranked defense in the Conference came to play in the first four minutes, stifling Hilo to just two points. Meanwhile, the VU offense was spurred by a pair of Kaylee Byon pull-up J's, a textbook hookshot from Emma Schaaf, and an Aryanna Hudson triple to open up a 9-2 lead. Schaaf continued to pressure the paint, as her 3-4 mark from the line in the first 10 minutes helped Vanguard end the period up 19-12.
Credit to Hilo, though, as they would not be daunted even with only seven active players. Despite two emphatic blocks by Schaaf early, the Vulcans would persist in their drives downhill, which were opened up by physical off-ball screens. Coach Russ Davis had to burn a timeout halfway through the period to refocus the squad, but still Hilo trimmed the deficit, getting the game to 23-19 with 4:50 remaining. A run of five points for Halle Si'I and a beautiful high-low read by Kayla Boozer to Wemby inside would quell the momentum for the moment. Hilo's Kaile Cruz thought she brought good fortune back to her side on a jumper before the half, but Micaela Hanning found herself alone in the corner to beat the halftime buzzer on a dime from Kaylee Byon (VU, 34-23).
Early in the third, VU had some chippies on the interior that would have extended the VU lead, but they could not convert. This allowed Hilo to remain within striking distance down 34-27 with 7:18 on the clock. Slowly but surely, though, the Lions would loosen that Vulcan death grip, with Shayla O'Neil's triple spearheading a 7-0 run to end the quarter, putting VU back up double-digits (VU 47-34).
The 4th started with each side swapping jumpers with Aryanna Hudson doing the honors for the Blue and Gold on a shot from deep. But the feeling for the Vanguard cohort that made the trek remained one of unease. It was not until Kaylee Byon found Shayla O'Neil on a curl for two that the Lions started to sputter away with 7:30 left in the ball game.
That is when Coach Davis led his girls on a fourth-quarter clinic.
For the final six minutes of the ball game, Russ Davis looked like a football coach telling his team to run out the clock with a lead, for the Lions would wait until 20 on the shot clock before initiating offense. What made the strategy even more effective was the offensive rebounds corralled to further milk the clock, led by O'Neil. Even though Vanguard did not score from 6:45 until 2:14, the time wasted thanks to six o-boards in that span made the 56-38 lead insurmountable, before the Lions eventually cruised to the final.
Of note: Azusa Pacific lost earlier in the day to Point Loma, giving VU sole possession of first heading into next week's meeting.
This was the first time Vanguard has ever gone to Hilo to play.
What Was Said?: "Not easy to come over here and go 3-0 on this trip." said Head Coach Russ Davis. "We battled injuries and illness and toughened it out. Proud of that. We are still learning and trying to figure out lineups and substitutions as we go. Another big week coming up with APU and Point Loma coming to our home this week. Fun to be in big meaningful games."
What's Next?: As the bossman alluded to, it will be the biggest week of the season thus-far, as VU returns home to host two of the best teams in the PacWest next week, starting with Azusa Pacific on Thursday (5:30 PM PT) before welcoming the reigning PacWest double-champs Point Loma on Saturday (2:00 PM).
