IRVINE, Calif. -- Hawai`i Hilo played the second and third teams in the current PacWest standings last week and beat both of them to move into first place in the conference with a five-game winning streak.
 
The Vulcans opened the week with a 97-89 win over Biola, withstanding a 27-point performance from Chris Rossow for Biola. Darren Williams responded with 28 points of his own along with five assists. Williams went on to replace Rossow as the current PacWest leader in assists.
 
Against Academy of Art, Hawai`i Hilo trailed by seven with just under six minutes left after the Urban Knights knocked down a pair of triples. The Vulcans responded with a 13-3 run to end the game. McHenry made 4 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc and scored 19 points in the win.
 
Fresno Pacific defended its home floor with a one-point win over Azusa Pacific, 71-70. Jelani Watson-Gayle, who has scored at least 13 points in every game this year, scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the win. He is averaging 25 points per game over the last three games. Watson-Gayle made the game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute and then Nate Kendricks hit the go-ahead free throw to win the game.
 
This week’s action will get an early start with a three-game slate for Monday night. Concordia will visit Fresno Pacific and then Hawai`i Hilo will host Dominican while Academy of Art and Chaminade square off in Honolulu. Point Loma will put its two-game winning streak to the test on Thursday as the Sea Lions host Chaminade. The Silverswords will continue their trip through southern California on Saturday at Biola.
 
Weekly awards for the week of Jan. 10-16
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Hawai`i Hilo
F, Fr., 6-6 -- Wellington, New Zealand
Tait-Jones has scored in double figures in every game so far this year and over the last three games, he has recorded a double-double in each game to help the Vulcans ride a five-game winning streak that has propelled Hawai`i Hilo to the top of the PacWest standings. Tait-Jones opened the week with 17 points against Biola to go along with 13 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. The win gave Biola just its third loss of the season. Against Academy of Art, the freshman scored 22 points for his fifth 20-point game of the season. He made 7 of 13 field-goals and tallied 13 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. In each of the las three games, Tait-Jones has recorded at least 17 points, 13 rebounds, a block and a steal. He is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game, which leads the PacWest and he ranks fourth in scoring with 17.6 points per game.
 
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Klay Brown, Academy of Art
G, Jr., 6-4 -- South Jamaica, New York
The PacWest leader in steals became the first player this season to be named PacWest Defender of the Week twice in a row. Brown tallied five steals and three blocks on the week as Academy of Art split their first two games in Hawai`i. Brown only played 15 minutes against Hawai`i Hilo, but made an impact on the defensive side with two steals and a block, plus five defensive rebounds. Brown was back in the starting lineup and led the team in minutes against Hawai`i Pacific. While scoring a team-high 16 points with eight assists on the offensive end, he registered three steals and two blocks along with seven rebounds in the win. Brown now has a league-best 37 steals this season and Academy of Art as a team leads the conference in steals with 173. Averaging almost 11 steals per game as a team, the Urban Knights could have a chance to break the PacWest’s single season steals record for a team, which is currently at 328.