Tuesday, November 24, 1998

Hawaii Pacific
opens with win

By Jerry Campany
Special to the Star-Bulletin

Unsure of what to expect from his many new faces, Hawaii Pacific head basketball coach Tony Sellitto turned to seniors Shannon Lee and Willie Flowers to score a routine 10-point win.

The Sea Warriors overcame opening-night jitters to beat St. Mary's, 67-57, last night at the Neal Blaisdell Arena. Senior Robert Parker shook off the rust that had gathered on his game after a year out of action to lead all scorers with 22 points on 6-for-15 shooting.

"I didn't know what to expect," Sellitto said. "It was the first game. They could have all gone out there and fainted and I wouldn't have been surprised."

After a sluggish first half in which HPU was outrebounded, 28-14, but led most of the way, the Sea Warriors took over as guards Flowers and Lee hit 3-pointers to open the second half.

Lee finished 14 points but had trouble finding an open man against a confusing St. Mary's defense. He made a difference on defense, holding the Rattler point guards to a single assist while forcing 11 turnovers on six steals.

Flowers logged all 40 minutes on the court and struggled to find his shot, but made the final minutes his showcase. When the Rattlers crept back to within 4 points with four minutes to play, Flowers grabbed three rebounds and scored 6 of his 11 points -- 4 from the line to ice the game.

"Will (Flowers) is a leader and is going to stay out there as long as I need him," Sellitto said. "He is the kind of player that can ignite at any time, and he did."

Mike Parks collected 17 of the Rattlers' 56 rebounds, keeping them in the game despite 31 percent shooting from the field and 15 percent from 3-point land. The Sea Warriors were outrebounded, 56-30, by the bigger Rattlers.

"We can rebound," Flowers said. "Rebounding is about heart more than size, we just didn't want it enough tonight."

Saint Mary's: Meyer 2-7 0-0 4, Owens 5-14 1-3 13, Hickman 1-12 0-0 2, Parks 7-16 6-9 20, Jalufka 4-8 2-4 10, Payne 1-3 0-0 3, Reyna 0-1 0-1 0, Padalecki 0-0 0-0 0, Gray 0-3 2-2 2, Waters 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 21-66 12-21 57.

Hawaii Pacific: Lee 5-12 3-4 14, Parker 6-15 8-9 22, Ray 0-1 2-4 2, Kato 2-4 2-2 6, Flowers 3-9 4-4 11, Lewis 0-1 0-0 0, Nolan 1-3 6-10 9, Allen 0-1 3-4 3, Newburn 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-47 28-37 67.

Halftime--Hawaii Pacific 31, Saint Mary's 26. Fouled out--Ray. Rebounds--St. Mary's 56 (Parks 17), HPU 30 (Flowers 9). Assists--St. Mary's 8 (Parks 3), HPU 6 (Lee 5). Total fouls--St. Mary's 25, HPU 18.