HONOLULU, Hawaii – A trio of double-digit scorers including a double-double performance by Luke Hager propelled Hawaii Pacific to a 73-45 victory over Montana State University Billings in a non-conference men's basketball meeting Friday afternoon in the Neil S. Blaisdell Center.
 
Hager finished with a game-high 17 points and also hauled in 10 rebounds for HPU, which improved to 7-2 on the season. Justin Long chipped in 16 points, two rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal, and John Horowitz added 11 points for the Sharks.
 
"Hawaii Pacific is a very good team," commented MSUB head coach Jamie Stevens. "I thought our guys did some good things and shared the ball better offensively, but we just didn't get shots to fall. We had several lulls where we had a tough time scoring."
 
Antoine Hosley was the leader for MSUB, finishing with 12 points and a pair of assists. Momir Gataric was also in double-figures with 11 points and grabbed four boards. Marc Matthews connected on a pair of 3-pointers, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, and two steals for the Yellowjackets.
 
 
 
The 'Jackets got off to a quick 6-0 start, but HPU battled back and pulled the score even at 8-8 early on. MSUB hit a dry spell, with the Sharks completing a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 10-8.
 
The scoring spree gave HPU momentum, as the Sharks extended their advantage to nine points midway through the first half.
 
Overall in the first period the Sharks shot a whopping 55.6 percent from the floor (15-for-27), while MSUB was at 33.3 percent (9-for-27).
 
Back-to-back threes by Colfax Nordquist and Long got the second half started for HPU, as the Sharks moved ahead by 20 points, 44-24. It was the beginning of a 15-2 run that put the game out of reach for the Yellowjackets (1-10).
 
Darry Jones Jr. had a productive afternoon for the Sharks, finishing with seven points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal in 24 minutes. Horowitz added six boards to go along with his 11 points, and Nordquist finished with nine points, three rebounds, a steal and a block for HPU.
 
The 'Jackets were outrebounded in the game 42-28, and the Sharks had 16 assists compared to nine for MSUB. On the game HPU shot 51.0 percent from the floor and a strong 86.7 percent from the foul line (13-for-15). MSUB finished shooting 31.7 percent from the field and converted 2 of 4 free-throw attempts.
 
MSUB shot 5-for-17 from 3-point range, compared to a figure of 8-for-22 by HPU from beyond the arc. The Sharks held the advantage on points in the paint, 30-22, and on points off of turnovers 15-12. MSUB was led in rebounding by Emmanuel Johnson, who had seven rebounds, five points and an assist on the evening. Point guard Kendall Denham had a well-balanced game with five points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal without committing a turnover.
 
"The nice thing is that we get a chance to go out and play again tomorrow," Stevens said. "We really need to play well and end on a good note before Christmas."
 
NEXT UP: In its final game of 2014, MSUB takes on NAIA opponent Ottawa (Kan.) Saturday evening at 5 p.m. Mountain time. The 'Jackets will challenge the Braves inside the Blaisdell Center, in the final of a three-game set in Hawaii.