Make it four wins in a row!

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The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team fell behind by as many as 10 points to the Weber State Wildcats at the Stan Sheriff Center but got the final say, 73-68, in an overtime thriller on Sunday. This is now four wins in a row to begin the 2024-25 season.

Graduate transfer Tanner Christensen scored 20 of his 25 total points after the first half to lead UH to the comeback victory before he fouled out in the overtime period. Harry Rouhliadeff followed him with 12, and Tom Beattie and Gytis Nemeiksa each chipped in 10.

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Blaise Threatt was a beast in the loss with a game-high 27 points to lead Weber State. Miguel Tomley also had 12 in the loss.

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Both the 'Bows and Wildcats were neck and neck through the first eight minutes of the first half. It was tied at 13 until Nigel Burris made a second-chance layup with 10:57 remaining to put the Wildcats in front. The 'Bows tied the score twice, but the Wildcats did not give up the lead.

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Christensen kept UH in the hunt with many slam dunks and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field in the first half. The next closest UH scorer was Beattie with only four. Beattie, Nemeiksa, and Marcus Greene each made only one field goal.

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At the end of the first half, Weber State led the way, 38-31. UH was still able to stay nearby, but they were playing short-handed because Akira Jacobs was out with a foot injury.

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Rouhliadeff drew first blood in the second half just 25 seconds in, but the Wildcats scored the next five to mark their biggest lead on UH, 43-33, with 15:14 remaining. UH was far from done however.

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With 12:20 remaining, Rouhliadeff buried his lone triple of the game to put UH down, 45-40. That started a 7-1 UH run to trim the gap to just two by the 9:30 mark.

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UH finally took the lead, 49-48, via a Kody Williams triple with 6:37 remaining. It was a dogfight from that point on.

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With 25 seconds left, Tomley went 1-for-2 off a Williams foul to make it 57-55, Wildcats.

 

UH had one last chance for either a win or overtime. Christensen executed a clutch layup and brought the SSC crowd to its feet with six seconds left to tie the score at 57.

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Weber State declined a timeout, but Threatt's last-second layup was no good, and overtime was needed to settle things. It was an overall bad second half for Weber State; they were held to just six made field goals and only 19 total points scored to UH's 26.

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Rouhliadeff began the overtime period going 1-for-2 at the free throw line off a Tomley foul just 14 seconds in.

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Tomley then banked a triple on the next possession to put the Wildcats in front with 4:28 remaining. The Wildcats would not score another field goal (aside from free throws) until the last 15 seconds of the overtime period.

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In his first game back from a hand injury, UH's Ryan Rapp buried his first field goal of the season with 4:02 remaining to tie the score at 60. Two Rouhliadeff free throws off a Vasilije Vucinic foul ultimately put UH in front for good.

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With 1:53 to go, Weber State Coach Eric Duft was issued a technical foul off a Viljami Vartiainen foul. As a result, UH got four free throws out of that and made three of them.

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UH would win the game going away and handed Weber State its third loss of their season. It was also the first time since 1975 that these two teams faced off; UH won that game, 106-88.

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Hawaiʻi will return to the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday, Nov. 22 against the #10 North Carolina Tar Heels. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. HST; you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch on ESPN2.