Center Tanner Christensen scored 18 points — all in the second half — to boost the Hawaii basketball team to tonight’s 83-76 road victory over UC Riverside at SRC Arena in Riverside, Calif.

In winning the opener of a two-game road trip, the Rainbow Warriors improved to 10-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big West. The Highlanders fell to 10-7 and 3-2, losing at home for the first time in six games this season.

The Highlanders used a trapping defense to force 11 first-half turnovers that were parlayed into 14 points and a 30-28 lead at the intermission.

But the ’Bows were able to elude the Highlanders’ pressure schemes to activate their inside-out attack. Taking advantage of the absence of 6-foot-11 Joel Armotrading, one of the league’s best rim protectors, Christensen powered his way for dunks and lay-ins, often on screen-and-roll plays. The ’Bows constructed a 38-24 advantage in paint points. Christensen also banked in his first 3 of the season.

The ’Bows committed only three turnovers with 15 assists in the second half.

Kody Williams also harassed UCR point guard Barrington Hargress into 6-for-22 shooting, including 2-for-11 on shots launched behind the arc. Hargress finished with 19 points, but was not impactful in the first half, when he missed seven of eight shots and was 0-for-4 on 3s.

The ’Bows play at Cal State Fullerton on Saturday. Tip-off is at 11 a.m.