Solving the trap game, the Hawaii basketball team maneuvered its way to Thursday’s 83-76 road victory over UC Riverside at SRC Arena in Riverside, Calif.
A crowd of 1,235 saw the Rainbow Warriors elude the Highlanders’ traps and presses in the second half to improve to 10-5 overall and 2-2 in the Big West. After winning their first six home games this season, the Highlanders fell to 10-7 and 3-2.
“We talk about on the road you need to be tough and extra tough,” UH coach Eran Ganot said in a radio interview. “We had some tough-guy plays from so many different guys. That’s what changed really. We wanted to be pressed instead of try to survive the press.”
The ’Bows hit seven of their first eight shots to seize a 17-7 lead. The Highlanders then turned to a trapping defense to force 11 first-half turnovers that were parlayed into 14 points and a 30-28 lead at the intermission.
“See the grays in my goatee, see the grays start to pop up everywhere,” Ganot said of the ’Bows’ self-inflicted mistakes and inability to finish plays at the rim. “First half we had 11 turnovers and were brutal around the rim.”
Led by point guard Kody Williams’ problem-solving leadership and 6-foot-10 center Tanner Christensen paint-thinning moves, 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. Christensen scored all of his 18 points after the intermission. He had three jams, and banked his first 3 of the season.
“He said, ‘the bank’s always open,’” UH assistant coach Gibson Johnson said in a telephone interview.
Christensen said: “I wasn’t trying to bank it, for sure. But sometimes stuff like that happens.”
The ’Bows constructed a 38-24 advantage in paint points. When the Highlanders sent a second defender into the post, Christensen passed to Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, who buried a 3 for a 64-63 lead the ’Bows would not relinquish. Christensen also passed out of a double team to a cutting Hunkin-Claytor for a layup and an and-1 free throw.
“He was great,” Johnson said of Christensen. “He didn’t come out great, but he really responded at halftime. He brought huge energy for us. Those finishes at the rim set the tone.”
Hunkin-Claytor had five rebounds and four assists. Akira Jacobs buried two 3s en route to scoring 12 points. Harry Rouhliadeff also came off the bench to hit two 3-point shots.
“For the whole game,” Ganot said, “it was Kody. It was his talent in guarding an elite player.”
UCR point guard Barrington Hargress entered averaging 21.0 in Big West games. Williams harassed Hargress into 6-for-22 shooting, including 2-for-11 on 3s. Hargress finished with 19 points, but was not impactful most of the game. In the first half, he missed seven of eight shots and was 0-for-4 on 3s.
“Kody’s the reason we won that game,” Christensen said. “Their point guard is their best player. He was working so hard. He kind of kept us in it in the first half, and led us in the second half. His defense was crucial in that game.”
Ganot said: “You’re never going to limit those guys. But to hold (Hargress) to a poor shooting percentage and to run our team against the press, I thought (Williams) was the leader of the pack tonight.”
BIG WEST MEN
Conference Overall
W L Pct. GB W L
UC San Diego 4 0 1.000 — 14 2
UC Irvine 4 0 1.000 — 14 2
CS Northridge 3 2 .600 11
2 11 5
UC Riverside 3 2 .600 11
2 10 7
UC Davis 3 2 .600 11
2 9 7
Hawaii 2 2 .500 2 10 5
UCSB 2 2 .500 2 10 5
Long Beach St. 2 2 .500 11
2 6 10
CS Bakersfield 2 3 .400 21
2 8 9
Cal Poly 0 5 .000 41
2 6 11
CS Fullerton 0 5 .000 41
2 5 12
Thursday
Hawaii 83, UC Riverside 76
UC Davis 63, Cal State Fullerton 53
UC Irvine 77, Cal State Northridge 67
UC San Diego 95, Cal Poly 68
UC Santa Barbara 78, CS Bakersfield 66
Saturday
Hawaii at Cal State Fullerton, 11 a.m.
Long Beach State at UC Davis
UC Santa Barbara at Cal Poly
CS Northridge at Cal State Bakersfield
UC Irvine at UC San Diego
HAWAII 83, UC RIVERSIDE 76
RAINBOW WARRIORS (10-5, 2-2)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Christensen 28 7-12 3-4 9 2 3 18
Williams 30 2-8 6-8 4 6 4 11
Beattie 21 2-4 2-2 1 0 4 7
Nemeiksa 27 2-8 2-5 9 4 2 6
Rapp 19 2-2 0-0 2 4 0 5
Jacobs 23 5-7 0-0 1 1 0 12
Rouhliadeff 15 3-4 0-0 1 1 1 8
Hunkin-Claytor18 2-3 2-3 5 4 1 7
Greene 12 2-3 0-0 0 1 3 5
Palm 7 2-3 0-0 3 0 2 4
TEAM 3
TOTALS 200 29-54 15-22 38 23 20 83
HIGHLANDERS (10-7, 3-2)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Hargress 34 6-22 5-8 3 2 2 19
Smith 31 5-12 1-2 2 1 2 14
Whitbourn 21 2-2 2-4 7 0 2 8
Olabode 19 2-3 0-0 2 1 5 4
Pickens 16 1-3 1-2 1 1 5 3
Moses 29 9-17 6-6 1 4 2 26
Strauss 23 1-2 0-0 4 1 1 2
Schulte 21 0-2 0-0 9 1 3 0
Davis 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
TEAM 0
TOTALS 200 26-63 15-22 29 11 22 76
Halftime — Hawaii 30, UC Riverside 28
3-point goals — Hawaii 10-17 (Jacobs 2-3,
Rouhliadeff 2-3, Beattie 1-1, Christensen
1-1, Greene 1-1, Hunkin-Claytor 1-1, Rapp
1-1, Williams 1-4, Nemeiksa 0-2). UC Riverside 9-26 (Smith 3-5, Whitbourn 2-2, Moses
2-6, Hargress 2-11, Pickens 0-1, Strauss
0-1). Steals — Hawaii 4 (Beattie, Nemeiksa,
Rapp, Williams). UC Riverside 9 (Strauss 3,
Moses 2, Olabode 2, Pickens, Whitbourn).
Blocked shots — Hawaii 1 (Williams). UC
Riverside 3 (Pickens 2, Schulte). Turnovers
— Hawaii 14 (Beattie 2, Christensen 2,
Greene 2, Palm 2, Williams 2, Jacobs, Rapp,
Rouhliadeff, Team). UC Riverside 10 (Pickens 2, Smith 2, Davis, Moses, Schulte,
Strauss, Olabode, Whitbourn). Technical
fouls — none. Officials — A.J. Desai, Roland
Simmons, Eric Curry. A — 1,235.
