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JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii’s Keith Shamburger got around Boise State’s Igor Hadziomerovic during the first half Sunday.
Boise State made more plays late to hold off Hawaii 62-61 in the final first-round game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center Sunday.
The Broncos improved to 9-2 and the Rainbow Warriors fell to 7-3. Boise State plays South Carolina at 4 p.m. today and UH meets Saint Mary’s at 6:30 p.m.
Garrett Nevels missed a long shot at the buzzer that would’ve given UH the win.
Hawaii also had a chance to tie it with 8.7 seconds left, but Quincy Smith missed the first of two free-throw tries.
The Broncos led the thriller 54-48 with six minutes left, but UH tied it with three straight baskets. Boise State re-took the lead 59-56 on Jeff Elorriaga’s 3-pointer.
The Rainbows re-tied it when Smith converted a traditional three-point play.
After Keith Shamburger put Hawaii up 60-59 with a free throw, Anthony Drmic hit again from beyond the arc with 58 seconds left, giving the Broncos a 62-60 lead.
Hawaii led 32-31 at halftime as Brandon Spearman scored 12 points,
The Broncos jumped to a 14-6 lead on balanced scoring. But UH used a nine-point run capped by an alley-oop from Shamburger to Isaac Fotu to take its first lead.
Drmic scored 21 points to lead the Broncos.
Spearman hit two free throws with 57 seconds to go to put the Rainbow Warriors ahead going into the break.
Spearman finished with a team-high 17 points. Shamburger added 13 and Fotu 12 for Hawaii.
