Warriors rally past Aggies on Maui
WAILUKU, Maui – The Hawaii basketball team once again relied on a second-half surge to win a game on a Neighbor Island.
This time, a 12-0 run late in the second half propelled the Warriors to a 65-57 victory over North Carolina A&T on Sunday evening.
A crowd of 1,412 at the War Memorial Gymnasium watched the Warriors improve to 5-4. Hawaii also rallied in the second half in its previous game – a victory over Hawaii-Hilo on the Big Island.
Shaquille Stokes led the Warriors with 19 points, including 15 in the crucial second half. Vander Joaquim added 16 points and seven rebounds, and Zane Johnson scored 13.
Hawaii built a 22-13 lead midway through the first half, and eventually took a 35-30 lead at halftime.
The Warriors shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first half, and managed to get to the free throw line 17 times (making 12). However, Hawaii hurt themselves with 13 turnovers.
The Aggies scored the first six points of the second half to take a momentary 36-35 lead. The game stayed close after that.
Hawaii took control for good with the 12-0 surge that pushed its lead from 49-48 to 61-48 with less than four minutes remaining.
The Warriors finished the game with a 38.3 field goal percentage, but the Aggies were worse at 37.7 percent. Hawaii also went 24 of 32 on free throws, while the Aggies went 9 of 13.
North Carolna A&T dropped to 4-8, with all eight losses on the road.
The Warriors were scheduled to return to Honolulu after the game to prepare for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic later this week. Hawaii will open the eight-team, three-day tournament against Auburn on Thursday, December 22.
More details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.
