ATHERTON, CA – Despite facing a double-digit deficit at halftime, Menlo Men's Basketball used runs of eight and six unanswered points to nearly catch Hawaii Pacific in the second frame, but the Oaks' strong rebounding effort ended up not being enough to overcome the Sharks in the visitors' 83-72 Pacific West Conference win.

Oaks Highlights
-JaMaal Unuakhalu poured in a game-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field while adding seven rebounds
-A game-high nine rebounds came with eight points for Nick High
-In addition to scoring 13 points, Luke Wieskamp finished with six rebounds, one block, and one steal

11-Rebound And 23-5 Edge In Second Chance Points Not Enough For Menlo
After the teams traded scores in the early going, it was not until Hawaii Pacific's 12-2 push that a margin greater than five points was achieved by either side. Consecutive 3-pointers from junior guard Marvin Brumfield and sophomore guard Kai Brown brought the difference back to single digits then energizing dunks by senior forward JaMaal Unuakhalu and freshman forward Luke Wieskamp brought the Oaks within three at 28-25. A 13-4 response from HPU, however, allowed the Sharks to head into the halftime locker room up 46-33.

Junior guard Devon Woods knocked down a triple to initiate an 8-0 burst out of the break, cutting the Hawaii Pacific advantage to five less than two minutes in. Though HPU pushed back with long range success, consistent makes at the foul line by Brown and senior forward Nick High again had it as a one-possession game with over 12 minutes left. One last 7-0 run by the Sharks combined with free throws late to help them seal the 83-72 victory as time ran out on the Oaks' comeback.

Up Next
Menlo completes its four-game homestand by hosting UH Hilo this Saturday, Jan. 10 with a 2 p.m. start time from Haynes-Prim Pavilion.