Break time is over as the University of Hawaii basketball team prepares to defend home court in Thursday’s opening round of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

After an 11-day hiatus, the Rainbow Warriors will play host to 6-5 Pepperdine in the featured game of the eight-team tournament in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

The ’Bows were on a roll entering the break, using a 53-point second half to surge past Saint Francis on Dec. 11. It was the best game of the season for co-captains Kamaka Hepa (career-high 30 points) and Samuta Avea (17 of 18 points scored after the intermission).

Despite putting the momentum on layaway, coach Eran Ganot said it has been a timely break. Final exams were administered last week. The ’Bows were able to mix practices with recovery.

The ’Bows’ backcourt had been thinned. During a preseason exhibition, point guard Juan Munoz suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Ganot said guard Ryan Rapp, who transferred from Washington State in August, is closer to being at full health. Ganot said Rapp’s situation has advanced from “week-to-week” to “day-to-day.”

UH also is expected to soon announce a status update on guard Amoro Lado.

Avea, a 6-6 wing, appears to have regained his shooting touch. Avea, who did not play the previous two seasons, was 7-for-12 against Saint Francis, his most accurate outing of the year.

Of the break, Avea said, “I think it was good to have a little time to finish finals strong, and also have some time to focus on us for a while, and get some practices in. We’re definitely charged up and ready to play.”

Avea likely will be matched against Pepperdine wing Maxwell Lewis, who averages 18.5 points on 46.3% shooting from behind the arc and 5.8 rebounds. Some publications project Lewis as a first-round possibility in the 2023 NBA Draft.

“Lot of firepower,” Ganot said, noting the Waves were a young and “dangerous” team last season. “The young guys were thrown in the fire, and now they’re a year better for it, and you can see it. Things don’t happen overnight, but they’re moving in the right direction.”

Lewis and guards Houston Mallette and Mike Mitchell Jr. have launched 66.1% of the Waves’ 3-point shots. All three are connecting on better than 45% from outside the arc. In all, the Waves average 10 made 3s a game.

The Waves also can attack from short distance, averaging 30.9 paint points per game.

“They’re one of the more dangerous teams we’ll see in the country,” Ganot said.

While ESPN owns the Classic, the ’Bows view themselves as the hosts.

“Just knowing this is our tournament and ours to protect,” Avea said. “That’s the mentality going into it.”