Posted on: Saturday, March 12, 2005
UH-Hilo advances to regional semifinals
Advertiser News Services
Forward Osadonor Esene scored 21 points as No. 8 Hawai'i-Hilo held off Chico State, 83-81, in the opening round of the West Regional of the NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament yesterday at Bellingham, Wash.
The Vulcans, the region's second seed, won their fifth in a row and improved to 25-3. Chico State, seeded seventh, finished 18-10.
"I thought we played decently even though we hadn't played for two weeks," UH-Hilo coach Jeff Law said. "It took us a little while to get started.
At Bellingham, Wash.
Yesterday's first-round games
Cal Poly Pomona 82, Seattle Pacific 77
UH-Hilo 83, Cal State-Chico 81
Alaska-Fairbanks 66, Cal State-San Bernardino 59
Western Washington 80, BYU-Hawai'i 69
Today's semifinals
Cal Poly Pomona (22-6) vs. Hawai'i-Hilo (25-3), 3 p.m.
Western Washington (22-6) vs. Alaska-Fairbanks (20-8), 5 p.m.
Monday's finals
TBA, 5 p.m. UH-Hilo guard Alex Cabagnot and center Alex Graham each added 12 points for the Vulcans, with Graham adding 10 rebounds.
Chico State guard Scott Land had a game-high 32 points, hitting eight 3-pointers.
The score was tied at 47 with 9:43 left, but Hawai'i-Hilo went on a 15-4 run capped with dunks by Esene — the Pacific West Conference Player of the Year — and Graham to grab a 62-51 lead with 7:03 to play.
Chico State rallied, hitting six 3-pointers in the final seven minutes, four of them by Land, to close to 78-76 with 19 seconds left, but got no closer. The Wildcats were 12 of 40 on 3-pointers.
Ryan Diggs scored 21 points in Western Washington's victory over the eighth-seeded Seasiders (16-9).
The game was tied at 48 with 12 minutes left, but the Vikings went on an 11-3 run and never trailed after that.
Jake Chrisman scored 28 points for BYUH. Austin Smylie had 17 rebounds.
Fifteenth-ranked Western Washington (22-6) plays Alaska-Fairbanks (20-8), which beat Cal State-San Bernardino yesterday, 66-59.
In today's semifinals, UH-Hilo plays Cal Poly Pomona, which defeated Seattle Pacific, 82-77. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Hawai'i time. Regional host and top seed Western Washington defeated Brigham Young-Hawai'i, 80-69, in the other semifinal.
Jeff Law
"I'm hoping that shook a little of the rust off and we play a little bit better."
WEST REGIONAL
