Men’s and women’s basketball preview

The UH Hilo men and women tipped off the 2010 basketball season this past week in Washington State. The season opening road trip forced the squads to compete against tough mainland foes without having played a meaningful game at home.

Both teams opened up with a loss to Saint Martin's University in Lacey, Washington. For the men, the loss seemed to be the result of season opening jitters, as the game was played close but ended in a blowout. Andrew Gipson led the Vulcans with 12 points followed by a 10 point contribution from pre-season all-conference selectee Justin Smith and eight rebounds from Zach Wilde. The very next night the squad appeared to have more chemistry as it beat Western Oregon 87-79. Smith had a stellar game with 24 points and six rebounds, and Wilde had a great game with 17 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Dirk Snel buried three buckets from downtown and finished with 12 points.

The women's squad opened the season with back-to-back games against Saint Martin's. The Vulcans were forced to leave Washington winless, as they dropped consecutive games to the Saints. The Vulcans did show improved play in the second game, but not enough to bring them back. The next challenge also proved too tough for the Vulcans as they dropped a close game to Central Washington University. The road trip, though not victorious, was highlighted with tough play from Kayce Kirihara and Kristen Woodring.

Come out to upcoming Vulcan home games and help support both basketball teams as they shoot to earn a spot in the post season.

Top Row (Left to Right): Kien Aviero, Brandon James, Zach Wilde, Joshua Figueroa, Jimmy Lefebvre, Justin Smith, Lavell Shipman. Bottom Row: Tim Austin, Dirk Snel, Josh Morgan, Nick Kanno, Andrew Gipson, Vince Sanekane.

Top Row (Left to Right): Sheena Pio, Leesa Deniz, Kirsten Woodring, Hillary Hurley, Hotia Vaaimamao, Katie Swenson, Phylicia Schultz. Bottom Row: Lindsay Cartwright, Dayna Jandoc, Kirsty Imai, Kayce Kirihara, Jazz Corpuz, Natalie Mata.