Step one is complete.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team opened the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic with an emphatic 69-56 win over the Portland Pilots at the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday.

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"We had to weather a lot," Head Coach Eran Ganot said of this win.

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Matthue Cotton led the way for the 'Bows with 15 points on 6-for-12 shooting; he was 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Noel Coleman and Bernardo da Silva were next with 14 points each, and da Silva logged another double-double with 11 rebounds to Coleman's one. Coleman was also 2-for-5 from 3-point range.

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JoVon McClanahan had eight points of his own and dished out a game-high seven assists.

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Vukasin Masic led the Pilots with 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Tyler Robertson was next with 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds, but he had an uncharacteristic five turnovers.

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Robertson drew first blood for Portland to begin the game while Hawaiʻi took some time to get something started.

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UH got on the board over three minutes in with a Justin McKoy triple and a da Silva layup. The two teams traded field goals, but Portland built a five-point lead by the halfway mark.

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With 6:43 remaining, Juan Munoz banked his only triple of the game to break a 16-16 tie, and UH would never trail again. UH would ultimately go 6-for-18 from 3-point range in the first half with five of those triples coming in their first six field goals.

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"I feel like our team is a great shooting team," Cotton said. "Our confidence in that area hasn't really waivered at all."

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"Sometimes, some days may not be as good as other days," Da Silva added.

The 'Bows turned up their aggression on loose balls, which resulted in multiple miscues for the Pilots. As a result, Portland never got closer than three points.

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UH would have a steady first half with only five turnovers committed to Portland's seven. The first half ended with UH in front, 34-27.

"They were a pretty physical team," Da Silva said of Portland.

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The second half started with UH taking the first seven points. That was started by a McClanahan triple 49 seconds in.

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UH did not let up on their aggression for loose balls, nor stop with the 3-point shooting. They were able to extend their lead to 18 points with 13:51 remaining. Behind the services of da Silva, Cotton, and Coleman, the 'Bows remained steady, but Portland was not going down without a fight.

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With 5:47 remaining, Masic hit another triple and cut the gap to seven, 57-50, as a last-ditch effort for Portland. It was thwarted by Cotton, who then banked back-to-back triples to put UH's gap back to double-digits, and Portland never got any closer.

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"We had to find different ways to be impactful, and I'm glad we did," Ganot said.

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It was another good second half for the 'Bows, as they committed a decent seven turnovers to total 12 for the game to Portland's 10 (17 total).

UH will return to the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m. HST against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for their semi-final match in the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. You can watch the game on ESPN2 or listen on the radio at ESPN Honolulu.