Hawaiʻi men's basketball survives scare from Hawaiʻi Pacific
Five field goals inside enough for Hawaiʻi to walk away the victors
The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team survived a major scare from the Hawaiʻi Pacific University Sharks on Tuesday and escaped with a narrow, 67-63, victory at the Stan Sheriff Center.
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Kody Williams was piping hot from 3-point range, as he went 7-for-8 on the night to lead UH with a career-high 24 points. Gytis Nemeikša was next with 13 points, and he was 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Ryan Rapp had 12 points himself, all from 3-point range, as he went 4-for-5 on the night.
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Sherman Brashear led the Sharks with 22 points and drilled five of HPU's seven total triples. Jonas Visser was the only other double-digit scorer with 14.
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UH began a little sluggish, while HPU came out like rabid dogs. The Sharks executed some major defense on the 'Bows and took as much as a 9-point lead.
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UH still stayed close, but their 3-point shooting ultimately saved their bacon. UH shot an even 50% (8-for-16) from 3-point range, but their inside game was a much different story. They only made four field goals in the paint in the first 20 minutes.
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HPU's Visser was a monster in that first half, as he led all players with 10 at the break. At the half, it was 38-33, HPU.
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For UH, the second half was not much better in the paint, but their 3-point shooting never wavered. UH ultimately took the lead for good with 16:03 remaining via a Harry Rouhliadeff layup. That generated an 11-0 UH run for their biggest lead, 51-42, with 13:23 remaining. It was also UH's only field goal in the paint in the entire second half.
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Williams banked his seventh and final triple with 8:33 remaining to make it 60-53, UH. That would turn out to be UH's final field goal of the night; their final seven points came from the free throw line. Ultimately, UH shot a dismal 5-for-27 inside the arc overall, and missed their last eight in the second half.​
HPU continued to pressure UH but did not take the lead. A costly turnover with 19 seconds left all but crushed the Sharks' chance at an upset.
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UH would ultimately win the game at the free throw line for the final arithmetic. In total, Hawaiʻi shot a sizzling 48% (15-for-31) from 3-point range to HPU's 39% (7-for-18).
The 'Bows will hit the road to take on future Mountain West opponent, the Grand Canyon Lopes, on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. HST and then begin Big West Conference play against Long Beach State on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. HST. You can listen to both games on ESPN Honolulu and watch the Long Beach State game on Spectrum SportsNet.