UH basketball defeats Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Hawaii basketball team bounced back from its latest defeat with a 64-44 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff tonight.
UH wrapped up its seven-game season-opening homestand with a 4-3 record. The Rainbow Warriors moved to 8-0 coming off a loss under second-year coach Eran Ganot; they fell by two to Troy on Friday.
Pine Bluff (1-5) made its fifth trip to the Stan Sheriff Center in seven seasons. A crowd of 2,513 saw the SWAC team leave without a win for the fifth time.
UH got a second-half boost from junior guard Larry Lewis Jr., who scored a season-high 10 points in the period. Gibson Johnson scored 13, point guard Matt Owies had a season-high 11, and Jack Purchase added 11.
Owies and Purchase hit consecutive 3s to launch a 13-0 run that helped put the game away during a six-minute scoring drought by the Lions. The lead was 23 at its largest, 59-36.
Pine Bluff led in the game’s early moments, 12-6, but steadily lost the lead in a hail of fouls against the Golden Lions. They finished with 23 turnovers to UH’s 15.
Don't miss out on what's happening!
Stay in touch with top news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!
Johnson scored twice to open the second half, extending a seven-point lead into double figures for the first time.
Purchase hit a long 3 to beat the shot clock with 9:43 left, extending the advantage to its largest of 15.
UH resumes play in the Pearl Harbor Invitational Dec. 6 and 7.