Luckily, this was only an exhibition game.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team began their 2023-24 season on the wrong foot. They only led for 101 seconds before losing badly to the Saint Mary's Gaels, 92-58, on Friday at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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Despite a team-high six turnovers, senior point guard JoVon McClanahan was the only Hawaiʻi player to exceed 10 points in the loss; he had 16. The next closest was nine points from teammate Harry Rouhliadeff.

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The 'Bows scored the first few points of the first half and took an early 4-2 lead. Unfortunately, it was short-lived, as Saint Mary's came storming back to take the lead and would never look back.

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Saint Mary's would extend its lead to 20, but a McClanahan buzzer-beating triple would cut the gap to 17. UH was far behind, 46-29, at the break.

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That 17-point gap was the closest UH would get. Saint Mary's fired out of the gate in the second half, while UH took over 10 minutes to crack 10 points. UH ultimately was held to just six made field goals in the second half.

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However, other UH newcomers like Tom Beattie and Justin McKoy showed some good quickness themselves. McKoy had seven points in the loss, and Beattie had six.

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Aiden Mahaney (25) and Augustas Marciulionis (22) combined for 47 of Saint Mary's 92 total points. The next closest was Alex Ducas at 11.

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"They play every possession like it's their last," McClanahan said of Saint Mary's. "We didn't pressure them one bit."

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"This won't happen again," McKoy said of the team's performance.

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"We got our teeth kicked in," Head Coach Eran Ganot added.

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In an extra period against both team's benches, UH and Saint Mary's tied at 17 apiece.

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UH will officially begin non-conference play against UH-Hilo on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. HST at the Stan Sheriff Center. You can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu and watch on Spectrum Sports.