LIHUE >> Hawaii fended off upset-minded Chaminade with a dominant effort on the interior for a 94-84 victory at Kauai High School’s gym, the Raiderdome, on Saturday night.

UH (7-2) clawed back from an early 15-point deficit to win its fifth straight game, tying its longest streak under fourth-year coach Gib Arnold. The Rainbow Warriors also improved to 5-0 under Arnold in neighbor-island games, including two straight wins over the Division II Silverswords. 

It was the first UH basketball game played on Kauai. A packed crowd of more than 800 was on hand for the occasion and cheered both teams.

UH senior forward Christian Standhardinger tied his career-high of 31 points, including 20 in the second half, on just nine shots from the field. He went 16-for-22 from the free-throw line. Sophomore forward Isaac Fotu added 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks and center Davis Rozitis swatted a career-best four shots.

Hawaii got a combined 33 points from its starting backcourt of Keith Shamburger and Garrett Nevels. Nevels shot 4-for-5 on 3-pointers.

Chaminade (4-4) fell to 0-4 against Division I opposition this season.

UH chipped away against Chaminade’s zone defense after the Silverswords went up 25-10 in the early going.

The Rainbow Warriors shot 73.9 percent in the second half as forwards Standhardinger and Fotu went to work against the Silverswords’ foul-depleted front line.

Chaminade’s Kiran Shastri (25 points) hit his fifth 3-pointer to get the ‘Swords within 84-76 with 3:30 to play. Shastri hit two free throws to get it to six, but that was as close as it got late.

Standhardinger re-established control for UH with a three-point play, earning his second career 30-point game in the process.

The teams were tied at 42 at halftime.

Chaminade was without its top scorer, Florida Gulf Coast transfer Christophe Varidel. Varidel did not make the interisland trip and missed his third straight game with knee tendinitis.