(HONOLULU) For the second-straight game in Hawai'i, PLNU Men's Basketball went to overtime.
Except this time, the result went in the Sea Lions' favor.
After falling in OT on Tuesday at Hawai'i Hilo, Point Loma prevailed over Hawai'i Pacific in OT on Thursday, 78-75, to complete a late second-half comeback.
"First off, I want to thank God for the opportunity to compete with the group of men that we have, at a university where we get to grow together athletically, academically and spiritually," Head Coach
Justin Downer said.
"When we walked off the floor against Hilo, everyone in the room wanted the last 10 minutes back. The awesome part about having a 48-hour turnaround is we got the chance."
Zack Paulsen beat the first-half buzzer to give PLNU a two-point lead at the half before HPU fought back in the second period to lead by as many as seven.
Then with the hosts up by five with 2:57 to play, the Sea Lions held the Sharks scoreless for the remainder of regulation. PLNU scored the final five points of the second half, as
Wynton Brown's layup with 38 seconds remaining forced overtime.
Point Loma then scored the first five points of the extra period, making it a 10-0 run overall, as
Tyce Paulsen drained a triple before
Coby Barnes' steal resulted in a fastbreak layup at the other end.
HPU answered back with five-straight points of its own, until
Zack Paulsen made a pair of clutch free throws with 10 seconds remaining to put PLNU ahead by two.
Brown's steal and free throw then helped clinch the victory and cap off a stellar performance of 21 points and six rebounds.
Barnes tied his career-high with 19 points while
Luke Smith (12 points) joined him and Brown in double figures.
Zack Paulsen (9 points) and
Pierce Davis (9 points) nearly made it five Sea Lions with double-digit scoring.
"Despite all of the adversity this team has faced this season, they refuse to be defined by their circumstances," Downer said.
Point Loma (13-6 overall, 8-3 PacWest), a game behind first-placed Academy of Art in the conference standings, concludes its trip to Hawai'i on Saturday at Chaminade. Tip-off in Honolulu is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. HT.
