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VIDEO: Game Recap Courtesey of Ka Leo O Hawai`i


HONOLULU – On a milestone night for senior center Vander Joaquim, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team gutted out a 60-52 win over Pacific Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. Joaquim poured in a team-high 16 points, including a pair of clutch baskets down the stretch, while surpassed 1,000 career points as a Rainbow Warrior.
 
With the win UH (10-7, 4-2 BWC) snapped a two-game slide and moved into a tie for second place in the Big West standings. The Rainbow Warriors also ended a three-game win streak for the Tigers (9-8, 3-2 BWC) who came to Hawai'i off a pair of dominating home wins the week prior.
 
Four of UH's first five league games went down to the wire and this one was no different. There were 15 lead changes in the game and neither team led by more than six points until the Rainbow Warriors used a decisive 9-1 run in the final minutes to seal the win.
 
UH took the lead for good, 47-45, on a Joaquim basket with a little more than six minutes remaining but would need every ounce of effort to seal the win. Joaquim proved a major role in the end, hitting a clutch three-pointer at the 1:04 mark that extended UH's lead  to 54-49. Four straight free throws by Ozren Pavlovic would put the game out of reach for Pacific as UH built a 58-49 lead with just 36 seconds remaining.
 
Pavlovic scored a career-high 13 points and added four assists in 28 minutes of action, while Hauns Brereton added 11 points. Sama Taku led Pacific with 15 points.
 
It was a gritty game with team's bearing down on defense. After holding a slim 30-29 lead at the half, UH held the Tigers to just 25 percent after the break. Pacific was ultimately doomed by poor three-point shooting as the Tigers made just three of their 27 attempts from behind the arc.
 
UH also struggled, shooting just 29 percent in the second half and committing a season-high 23 turnovers. But the team turned it on when they needed to, closing the game out in the final five minutes to remain undefeated in its first four Big West home games.
 
Joaquim, who hit the 1,000 point mark midway through the second half , became just the 15^th player in school history to reach the milestone. He also became just the second player in program history, joining Melton Werts, to accumulate at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 100 blocks in his career.
 
Hawai'i will look to continue to move up the Big West standings when they host UC Davis on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.