Hawaiʻi men's basketball wins chess match with Utah Tech!
'Bows win back-to-back Outrigger Rainbow Classic titles!
In its first meeting all time, the University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team turned back the Utah Tech Trailblazers, 68-62, to win the 2025 Outrigger Rainbow Classic Championship at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday!
Dre Bullock (23), Isaac Johnson (14), and Gytis Nemeikša (12), in his first start of the season, combined for 49 of UH's 68 total points with Johnson tallying a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Ethan Potter, Utah Tech's lead scorer, led the Trailblazers with 15 points and five rebounds. He was followed by Jusaun Holt's 14 points and five rebounds, and Noah Bolanga rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points and four rebounds.
UH shot out of the gates to score the first seven points of the game. It was punctuated by UH's lone triple of the game by Bullock. From that point forward, all triples made were from Utah Tech.
UH added to their lead and took an early 11-2 advantage nearly five minutes in. They led by as many as 12 in the closing stages.
Utah Tech's Madiba Owona made a jumper with 32 seconds left to cut the gap to nine, 31-20. UH still maintained that score despite a shot clock violation with under three seconds left.
With team captain, Harry Rouhliadeff sidelined for this game, it appeared UH would pull away to another dominant win, but Utah Tech was not so sure.
The second half started with both teams trading layups, but Utah Tech made an immediate push to move into UH's neighborhood.
UH did get its lead back to 10 off a Bullock slam dunk with 13:07 remaining, but that was very short lived.
Utah Tech made some clutch shots to pull within two possessions at times, and they did cut the gap down to a single point with 7:15 remaining, but they could not seize the lead then.
UH responded each time Utah Tech made a push. Thanks to a 6-0 UH run down the stretch, UH got its gap back again, but Utah Tech had one last gasp.
The Trailblazers cut the gap to a single point off of back-to-back triples from Chance Trujillo and Holt. It turned into a 7-0 Trialblazers run, and maybe the team's first lead.
Nemeikša came to UH's rescue with a layup on an assist from Johnson with 2:44 remaining. It began a mini 5-0 UH run, and the gap was back to two possessions.
Holt made another fast-break layup with 54 seconds to go to make it 64-60, UH, but that was the closest Utah Tech could get.
After Aaron Hunkin-Claytor missed two free throws with 21 seconds remaining, Bullock was fouled on two occasions for two free throws each, and he made all four for the final arithmetic.
For UH, it was the first time they had won back-to-back Rainbow Classics since they won four straight from 2001-2004.
Bullock was named to the All-Tournament team, and Johnson also was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 59th Outrigger Rainbow Classic.
UH improves to 4-1 in the 2025-26 season and will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. Tipoff at the Stan Sheriff Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. HST, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch the game on Spectrum Sports.
Hawaiʻi men's basketball runs away from Manhattan Jaspers!
'Bows advance to Rainbow Classic Championship with win by 30!
Their last and only matchup came in an 81-67 win in Honolulu on Dec. 27, 2000.
In its second meeting nearly 25 years later, the University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team showed that not much had changed and advanced to the 2025 Outrigger Rainbow Classic Championship with another dominant, 86-56, win over the Manhattan Jaspers at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Friday!
It was a career night for Isaac Johnson (25) and Isaac Finlinson (14), who combined for 39 points on the night. Johnson pulled off a double-double with 11 rebounds to Finlinson's seven. Yacine Toumi also chipped in 10 points and five rebounds before he fouled out.
Anthony Isaac was the only Jasper to crack double digits with 17 points and four rebounds in the loss.
UH spared Manhattan the first field goal -- a dunk -- and went on a 12-1 run to take an early 12-3 advantage. It was a lead that UH would not surrender.
Manhattan made a push and cut the gap down to four with under six minutes to go, but UH answered the bell then.
The 'Bows went on an 11-0 run after that and maintained a double-digit gap from then on. At halftime, UH held a 38-24 advantage with just four turnovers committed!
UH's only hiccup was losing Harry Rouhliadeff when he inadvertently took a shoulder to the head and did not return.
The second half started like the first with Manhattan's Erik Oliver-Bush making a dunk, but UH was just too far ahead for Manhattan to pose any threat.
Despite temporarily losing Dre Bullock for a few minutes to an ankle problem, UH still put on a clinic and did not let their lead dip below 12. UH committed six turnovers in the second half to total 10 for the game and outscored Manhattan in second-chance points, 18-1.
Both Johnson and Finlinson exploded in the second half themselves! Johnson scored 21 of his 25 total points and was 4-for-5 from 3-point range overall. Finlinson scored 12 of his 14 total points and was 2-for-3 from 3-point range himself.
UH improves to 3-1 in the 2025-26 season and will play for the 2025 Outrigger Rainbow Classic Championship against the Utah Tech Trailblazers on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Tipoff at the Stan Sheriff Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. HST, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch the game on Spectrum Sports.
Hawaiʻi men's basketball dominates Mississippi Valley State!
28-5 run in first half puts 'Bows in win column over Delta Devils!
The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team began the 2025 Outrigger Rainbow Classic with a dominant, 88-56, win over the Mississippi Valley Delta Devils at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Wednesday!
It was a career night for Harry Rouhliadeff, who led UH with 22 points and five rebounds on 8-of-13 shooting. Hunter Erickson tied his career high with 18 points and six rebounds. Yacine Toumi also had a breakout performance with 11 points, and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor had a career night himself with 11 assists and just two points.
Michael James, MVSU's lead scorer who averaged 24 points a game, was held to just 11 points and one rebound. He was followed by Patrick Punch with 10 points and one rebound in the loss.
UH came to play and scored the first nine points of the contest with five coming from Dre Bullock. They would lead throughout, but they did come under a bit of fire from MVSU.
UH held a nine-point lead early, and despite an MVSU push to cut the gap to three, UH was not about to give up the lead for just two seconds.
With under eight minutes remaining, Rouhliadeff sank a triple, which generated an 11-0 UH run. That 11-0 run transformed into a massive 28-5 UH run to end the first half; it ultimately locked up the game early for UH.
At halftime, UH held a massive lead, 49-23!
The second half got no better for MVSU, as UH continued to increase their lead. 21 was the closest MVSU could get to UH for the final 20 minutes.
Toumi, who scored five in the first half, came up big with his final six points coming off of hard-earned shots.
UH did well and shot 50% (28-of-56) from the field, including 44% (10-of-23) from long range to MVSU's 34% (20-of-59).
UH improves to 2-1 in the 2025-26 season and will continue the 2025 Outrigger Rainbow Classic against the Manhattan Jaspers on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. Tipoff at the Stan Sheriff Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. HST, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch the game on Spectrum Sports.
Hawaiʻi men's basketball cruises to big win over East Texas A&M
'Bows make bold statement with landslide East Texas A&M win!
The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team avenged their heartbreaking loss at Oregon with an emphatic, 100-74, win over the East Texas A&M Lions at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday! It marked the first of an 11-game homestand for the 'Bows, and the first time UH cracked 100 points since 2017 in a 114-107 win over Long Beach State.
Dre Bullock and Hunter Erickson led a whopping seven double-digit scoring 'Bows with 15 points apiece with Bullock tallying seven rebounds to Erickson's one while Erickson was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field; Bullock also chipped in four assists and blocks. Gytis Nemeikša came off the bench for 14 points and four rebounds while Isaac Johnson chipped in a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Harry Rouhliadeff and Isaac Finlinson each put in 12 with Rouhliadeff getting four rebounds to Finlinson's three; Isaiah Kerr chipped in 10 points and four rebounds himself.
Josh Taylor led the Lions with 15 points and two rebounds in the loss.
Both teams traded triples between the Lions' Noah Pagotto and the 'Bows' Erickson, but the 'Bows outscored the Lions, 11-5, not too long after that.
For a stretch, both UH and ETAMU shot poorly and made no more than five field goals, but thanks to making 22 of 34 total free throws, UH maintained its lead despite a scoring drought of nine minutes!
Erickson banked his second triple to break that drought, and things began to come together for the 'Bows! In a matter of minutes, UH found themselves up by over 20, thanks to an 18-3 run, including 13 unanswered, to end the first half. At halftime, UH was way out front, 51-30.
Johnson and Rouhliadeff scored five points early for UH to begin the second half, and UH was able to maintain a lead of 25 or more the entire way.
11 of the 12 Rainbow Warriors got in the scorebook. Newcomer Hunter Carter scored his first point as a Rainbow Warrior on a free throw with 32 seconds left, which got UH to 100 points.
UH shot 55% (28-of-51) for the game after their sluggish start, 44% (7-of-16) from 3-point range. They did well with 14 turnovers committed overall with six coming in the first half.
UH improves to 1-1 in the 2025-26 season and will begin the 2025 Outrigger Rainbow Classic against the Mississippi Valley State Spartans on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. Tipoff at the Stan Sheriff Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. HST, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch the game on Spectrum Sports.
Hawaiʻi men's basketball denied victory at Oregon!
'Bows fall to Oregon on Simpkins layup with four seconds left!
A win was in the bag, until it wasn't.
The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team opened their 2025-26 season in heartbreaking fashion with a 60-59 loss to the Oregon Ducks in the waning seconds at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon on Tuesday. Just days after it was announced Tanner Cuff would miss most of the 2025-26 season due to a knee injury, UH suffered the worst double whammy of all when Oregon's Takai Simpkins made a layup with four seconds left, and UH's Hunter Erickson's layup fell off the rim on the final possession.​​​
Isaac Johnson led UH with 13 points and eight rebounds before he fouled out, and Isaac Finlinson had a career night as a Rainbow Warrior with nine points and three rebounds.
Simpkins' 18 points led the way for Oregon while Nate Bittle poured in a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Harry Rouhliadeff drew first blood under a minute in, and that led to UH scoring seven of the first nine points of the game.
UH held the lead until the 15:04 mark when Oregon's Kwame Evans Jr. hit a triple to put the Ducks in front. Despite that, the 'Bows did not show any mercy.
UH and Oregon traded the lead several times, but Oregon uncorked a 7-2 run with 7:49 remaining and gave themselves some space.
At halftime, Oregon led UH, 33-26, with Simpkins leading all scorers with 11. As for UH, Finlinson came off the bench to score eight of his nine points total in that first half.
UH spared Oregon the first bucket of the second half, but Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, in his season debut, led an 11-1 UH run to get the 'Bows back in the Ducks' neighborhood, 36-35. The run was punctuated on a Dre Bullock triple with 16:01 to go.
The Ducks responded and went on a 14-1 run themselves to go up, 50-36, with 11:05 to go.
UH showed they were twice as stingy and took control after that. Gytis Nemeikša banked a triple off a Bullock steal which began a 20-8 UH run, including 14 unanswered. The 'Bows tied the score at 50 with 7:53 remaining off of two Johnson free throws.​
UH and Oregon traded the lead several times until two Bittle free throws tied the score at 54 with 5:14 remaining. The 'Bows battled hard despite Johnson and Nemeikša fouled out with under five minutes left. Yacine Toumi made the next layup with 4:17 left to put UH in front, 56-54, but that Toumi layup was ultimately UH's final made field goal of the game.
With 1:49 left, Oregon tied the score again at 58 on a Sean Stewart tip-in layup; however, 15 seconds later, a Bittle shooting foul put UH's Toumi at the line for two free throws.
Toumi went 1-of-2 at the line, and Oregon had one more chance. Oregon tried sinking a triple twice and failed. Rouhliadeff got the rebound off the second missed triple, but Simpkins picked up the ball and made the second-chance layup with three seconds left to ultimately turn back UH.
What looked like UH's first win over Oregon since 1999 was not meant to be after Erickson's last gasp did not hit the rim. Despite logging 12 steals and forcing 21 total Oregon turnovers, it was still not enough for UH.
UH drops to 0-1 in the 2025-26 season and will return home for its first of 11 straight home games beginning with a non-conference matchup against the East Texas A&M Lions on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. Tipoff at the Stan Sheriff Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. HST, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch the game on Spectrum Sports.
Hawaiʻi men's basketball holds off Chaminade in exhibition thriller!
'Bows fight from 7-point gap to turn back Division II Chaminade!
The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team found themselves down seven in the second half, but thanks to Hunter Erickson and Dre Bullock, were able to beat the Chaminade Silverswords, 93-87, at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday.
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Bullock's 23 points and eight rebounds led a trio of double-digit scoring 'Bows. Harry Rouhliadeff added 17 of his own, along with eight rebounds. Erickson scored all 10 of his points in a critical three-minute stretch in the second half. Returnee Gytis Nemeikša, in his season debut, added eight points and a critical game-high 12 rebounds as well.
Kent King led the Silverswords with 23 points and nine rebounds. Nathan Medina added 17 before he was forced to leave due to an injury. Roland Banks II and Nate Sasser III added 14 each in the loss.
UH hit the ground running and scored six of the first eight points of the game. Chaminade made a push, but Tanner Cuff banked a triple to extend UH's lead, 9-4.
UH was able to pull as much as a nine-point gap and led from start to finish in the first half. Despite missing over half of their 23 total free throw attempts and 10 turnovers committed, UH still led the way. At the half, UH led Chaminade, 43-40.
UH started out the second half rocky with a turnover on its opening possession, and Rouhliadeff missed a shot three straight times. It resulted in a Sasser triple for Chaminade to tie the game on the next possession.
Bullock aided in a 11-2 UH run after that, but Chaminade's pressure put the 'Bows in binds left and right. UH did not self-destruct, but they would lose the lead at the 12:39 mark off a Sasser fast break free throw.
Chaminade kept up the pressure and forced more Hawaiʻi turnovers. They pulled as much as an 8-point gap by the 8:31 mark.
UH put their heads down and went to work. Bullock began an adrenaline-filled UH attack with a dunk at the 7:51 mark. Erickson then took command of the proverbial ship and scored his 10 critical points down the stretch.
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A Nemeikša tip-in with 3:28 remaining put UH in front for good. They got things together at the free throw line and made their free throws down the stretch. In total, UH had outscored Chaminade, 20-5, to end the game.
UH will hit the road for its regular season opener at Oregon on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. HST, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch the game on the Big Ten Network.
Hawaiʻi men's basketball wins by 50 in Pomona-Pitzer exhibition
'Bows put on clinic in exhibition game against Pomona-Pitzer!
The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team put on a clinic in its first of two exhibition games with a 101-51 win over the Division III Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday.
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Newcomers Isaac Johnson and Dre Bullock led a six-pack of double-digit scoring 'Bows with 18 apiece. Returnee Harry Rouhliadeff added 15 of his own, followed by newcomer Hunter Erickson's 14. Jalen Myers and Isaac Finlinson contributed 10 each while Tanner Cuff added eight points and eight rebounds, and a team-high seven assists.
Charlie Hutchinson led the Sagehens with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Clyde Rosenberg added 10 points and two rebounds of his own in the loss.
UH began with some immediate fire and scored the first six points while Pomona-Pitzer took some time to get going. UH pulled out an early 21-9 lead from a Myers 3-point play. The 'Bows did not look back from that point forward and shot a good 53% in the first half.
UH hit the ground running again in the second half. They immediately outscored Pomona-Pitzer, 19-4, early and cruised to the win.
With Cuff and Erickson leading the charge, UH found themselves doubled up over Pomona-Pitzer on numerous occasions.
By the end of the game, UH had outscored Pomona-Pitzer in the paint, 66-16! They shot just under 60% for the game with Bullock and Johnson going a combined 14-for-16 from the field.
UH will return to the Stan Sheriff Center for its final exhibition matchup against the Chaminade Silverswords on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m. HST. Parking and admission will be free, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu.