COSTA MESA -- Vanguard men's basketball had the early slate game on Tuesday night against the Vulcans of Hawaii Hilo, but UHH took the reverse fixture 68-64.  In a game of short runs, the first half tilted each way before the Vulcans seemed to find a good defensive rhythm, as the visitors never let the Lions tie the game in the second half.  VU dropped to 11-9 overall and 7-7 in Pacific West Conference play, while Hawaii Hilo improved to 5-16, 5-10.
 
What Happened?  The opening trey came from Bryson Metz, who popped open to put the Lions ahead 55 seconds after UHH won the tip.  The Vulcans scored the next three points to take their first lead of the night, but a quality roll on the far side of the offensive set led Pape Cisse to complete a wide open dunk to return the edge to VU at 5-4.  Aibigho Ujadughele made a three, as did Tony Colley, as the teams remained tied with 12 minutes left in the first.
 
The Vulcans had a short 4-0 spell to take a 16-12 lead, and UHH held that advantage for the next five minutes, as the visitors hounded the glass at both ends.  But Devin Carson nailed a three with one on the shot clock to slice things to one at 21-20.  Hawaii Hilo responded with four more unanswered points, but a pop-and-shoot trey from Metz and free throws from Erik Howlin put Vanguard ahead 31-30 with under two minutes to go in the half.  Yet the Vulcans generated the final five points to lead 35-31 at the half.
 
The Lions shot 37.5% from the floor in the first half, while UHH was at a 45.1% mark. 
 
UHH silenced Vanguard for the first two minutes of the second stanza, increasing the gap to 41-31 during the span.  Metz delivered his third shot from deep to get the engine going, and free throws by Kailen Rains and another jam by Cisse trimmed the deficit to 41-38.  A steal-and-score for Howlin capped the 9-0 VU run, and the squads jockeyed within one possession of each other for the next few minutes.
 
However, ahead 48-46 with 11:58 to go, the Vulcans again put up a small run, using an 8-2 period to lead 57-50 four minutes later.  Unfortunately, a true counter never developed.  The Lions chipped away, but for every chunk taken out, the Vulcans found an answer, and the guests made their free throws down the final couple of minutes to take a road victory.
 
The Lions shot 36% in the second frame, the same as UHH.  The Vulcans were stellar on the glass, owning a 45-25 advantage in rebounds, including a 16-9 edge in offensive boards.  That countered Vanguard forcing 13 turnovers, though VU only scored six points off those turnovers. 
 
Why is it Important?  VU now moves into eighth in the standings, and the Vulcans have won three of the five all-time meetings.
 
What's Next?  Vanguard plays on Saturday at Westmont at 7:30 p.m.