When Hawaii got up a shot, more often than not it was going in.

The Rainbow Warriors struggled with turnovers early and late against press-happy Central Arkansas, but a torrid shooting stretch in between was enough as UH prevailed 83-69 last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

A turnstile crowd of 4,499 saw the Rainbows (4-0) continue their unbeaten start to the season under new coach Gib Arnold thanks to 55.4 percent shooting from the field.

That included 52.6 percent (10-for-19) on 3-pointers, which trumped 23 giveaways against a team schooled in applying fullcourt pressure for all 40 minutes.

Hawaii led by 23 points in the second half and played all 12 active players by halftime, only to have to scrap and claw to win by double figures against the Bears (1-2) of the Southland Conference.

UH was going right back to practice at 6 a.m. today in preparation for their next opponent, Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday.

Though four Rainbows scored in double figures, the team couldn’t savor the win. UCA, coached by former NBA player Corliss Williamson, never quit and outscored UH 39-37 after the break.

"They kept plugging and kept pressing and kept on us, and I like the fight in that team," Arnold said. "Made it uncomfortable for us in a game that I thought we did have control of. I never really thought it was out of doubt, but we had to finish."

Junior guard Zane Johnson did that with three-point play with 5:28 left to snap an 11-0 UCA run and reassert control for the hosts. He and senior forward Bill Amis led UH with 15 points each. Freshman guard Bo Barnes added 14 points off the bench, while sophomore forward Joston Thomas posted 12 points and nine rebounds.

Johnson and Barnes, the team’s sharpshooters, had four 3-pointers each.

"Once we got the ball past halfcourt, it was good; we had open looks," said Johnson, who was disappointed in the second-half effort. "We wanted to get a piece of the paint and pound it inside, more than anything. Turn down good shots for great shots. But our halfcourt offense was great when we slowed it down."

Freshman point guard Bobby Miles played 21 minutes in relief of starter Hiram Thompson, who went out gingerly in the first half after a knee collision. Miles had five assists and four turnovers in the most sustained action of his young career.

"Coach just puts me in and stuff to lead the team," Miles said. "Like Zane said, we did a poor job in the second half. … We were a little lax. We thought we had the game won, but we gotta come back and play as hard as we did in the first half."

Arnold said Thompson had a deep knee contusion, and kept him out in the second half as a precaution.

Williamson, who was the 1994 Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic Most Outstanding Player with Arkansas, expected his team to maintain its effort despite the lopsided score.

"I don’t know if you can write what I said to them (during the game)," said Williamson, who got a game-high 17 points from center Carlos Dos Santos. "It was just the hard work they’ve put in throughout the year, the conditioning, and just how we play. I don’t give them a chance to feel sorry for themselves or have any excuses. We’re going to compete every night regardless of who we play."

In the first meeting between the schools, Hawaii never really solved the fullcourt pressure of UCA, but Arnold thought it was a solid first effort against that type of team.

The Bears jumped out to a 20-15 lead, but UH pulled ahead for good at 21-20 with 9 minutes left in the first half when an Anthony Salter lob pass to Amis banked off the glass and in.

The Rainbows closed the period on an 18-6 run and shot 60 percent from the field before the break. UH was up 46-30 at halftime.

The last two eligible Rainbows to play this season, freshman guard Jordan Coleman and sophomore forward Dominick Brumfield, got their first action in the first half.

With four wins, Arnold has already matched the first-year mark set by his father, former UH coach Frank Arnold, in 1985-86.