That didn’t take long.

Miah Ostrowski wasted no time in picking up where he left off, notching eight assists as a surprise starter in Hawaii’s 74-61 win over UC Davis before a crowd of about 4,000 on Sunday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Ostrowski, the Warriors football slotback in at hoops point guard for the first time in 2011-12, was effective in establishing tempo and helped UH to a season-best 56.3 percent shooting from the field. It was an immediate recall of his heroics in helping the Rainbow Warriors turn things around as a midseason pickup last year.

"It was good to be back with the boys," the speedy 5-foot-9 senior said.

"I knew what to expect. My role on the team is pretty simple. Just run the point and try to find other guys, and they do the scoring. Nothing was new to me; I just tried to play the same like I did last year."

UH (3-4) made up a five-point halftime deficit and got a strong finishing effort from sophomore point guard Bobby Miles, who made several big plays at both ends while the Rainbow Warriors broke the game open with a 14-0 run in the final 10 minutes.

UC Davis (1-8) hung in gamely until the midpoint of the second half, but once the Aggies’ long-range shots stopped falling against a surprisingly effective UH zone defense, the 3-point-happy visitors of the Big West Conference ran out of viable options. UH outscored UCD 40-22 in the period as the Aggies shot 25.7 percent after the break, compared to 66.7 percent for the ‘Bows.

"I sure liked that second half better than that first half," UH coach Gib Arnold said. "That reminded me of how we’re supposed to play the game."

Arnold decided to shake things up coming off road losses at Pepperdine and Pacific.

Ostrowski, despite getting in just three practices, got the starting nod along with forward Trevor Wiseman and usual reserves Miles, Davis Rozitis and Hauns Brereton. That group outperformed the first group during the week, and minutes were spread around to 10 players.

"In practice (the first group was) kind of just going through the motions, and I told them, ‘This week’s going to be different, guys. It’s a clean slate,’ " Arnold said.

The ‘Bows’ expected leaders, guard Zane Johnson and center Vander Joaquim, responded well to the ego check. Johnson, a reserve for the first time this season, made six straight free throws in the final 1:26 to ice the win. The senior shooting guard put in a game-high 19 points on just seven field-goal attempts, and made three of five from long range.

Joaquim posted season highs of 16 points and 15 rebounds to collect his first double-double as a junior. He played large as UH enjoyed a 42-20 advantage in points in the paint.

"It don’t matter (coming off the bench) … I trust my teammates," said Joaquim, who had three blocked shots and got cheers for diving for a steal. "(We’re) just getting better every day. … We’re going to continue to play hard."

Miles had nine points on 4-for-5 shooting with three assists and two steals. He was key in holding the Aggies to two field goals for the final 9 minutes of the game.

Smaller UCD was outrebounded 44-29, but used weave action with kick-outs to multiple 3-point shooters to remain competitive, especially against UH’s first-half man-to-man defense. UCD sunk 10 3s in 30 attempts.

"I felt like we didn’t play — when we got that lead back in the second half — to win the game," first-year UCD coach Jim Les said. "We played in a conservative mode. … Early in the game they went to a zone and we pulled them right out of it because the ball moved quickly and we got really good looks.

"Late they went to it … (and) we didn’t attack it."

This week, UH goes on a two-game interisland swing to play Hawaii-Hilo in Kona on Friday and North Carolina A&T in Wailuku on Sunday.