‘Bows put streaks on the line

The once-laughable concept of four straight conference road wins has never strayed far from myth for the Hawaii men’s basketball team.

Today could be the day it becomes reality.

The Rainbow Warriors take their five-game overall winning streak — including three on the road — into The Pavilion at UC Davis, looking to avenge their only home defeat in Big West Conference play.

Second-place UH hasn’t accomplished six straight wins since the 2004-05 team won eight straight to open the season.

And you have to reach way back to find the last time four straight roadies happened, by the "Fab Five" of 1971-72. UH did not belong to a conference back then.

"It’s a good position to be in. It’s a good challenge to have," UH coach Gib Arnold said from Davis, Calif., after Wednesday’s practice. "People have been telling us it’d be the first time ever we’d win four consecutive conference road games. … Hopefully we can do it. I know these guys are up to the challenge and are going to give it their best shot."

UH hasn’t lost since Arnold went back to a starting lineup laden with upperclassmen Jace Tavita, Brandon Spearman, Hauns Brereton, Christian Standhardinger and Vander Joaquim on Jan. 26 at UC Santa Barbara.

Standhardinger threw his teammates on his back during the winning streak, averaging 22.4 points and 11.2 rebounds over that span. It’s earned him the last two Big West Player of the Week awards.

"Teams will adjust, and I have to adjust, too," the junior forward said. "I’m already ready that when they stop my scoring, I’ll still help the team at the defensive end of the court."

The Rainbow Warriors kept their practice short to conserve energy for the Aggies, who proved themselves capable of a huge offensive night in defeating UH 93-82 on Jan. 19. The visitors shot 52.7 percent, including 16-for-26 (61 percent) on 3s.

Arnold said stopping guard penetration would be key in the rematch, though he did not specify what brand of defense he’d use. Davis point guard Paolo Mancasola had 11 assists the first time around, many on drive-and-kick plays to guard Corey Hawkins, who went off for a UC Davis-record 40 points on an incredibly efficient 14 shots. That included an 8-for-9 effort on 3-point shooting.

"When a guy puts 40 up on you, he’s a guy you talk quite a bit about when you’re talking about the scout," Arnold said. "We’ll definitely remember that and do our best so that he doesn’t repeat it."

Hawkins, the son of NBA veteran Hersey, is still more dangerous on the drive; he has made only seven 3s in Davis’ 10 other Big West games. But he is tied for the Big West scoring lead at 19.3 per game with Cal State Fullerton’s D.J. Seeley.

Davis coach Jim Les said his team hasn’t quite been able to replicate the shooting magic it discovered in Honolulu that night.

"Not to that extent, in terms of hitting 16 3s," Les said. "We certainly have the ability to be a really good shooting team, and on that night it seemed like everybody got hot all at the same time."

The Aggies have other weapons, too. Guard Ryan Sypkens tied the program’s single-season record for 3s made at 83 with a 5-for-6 long-range effort in a 68-53 road loss against Cal Poly on Saturday.

Davis is up to 39 percent shooting on 3s and making 8.2 per game for the season.

"Our transition defense has to be exceptional. Really get back and pick up shooters in transition," Arnold said.

Hawkins was held out of two games since his 40-point effort after taking a blow to the head. He’s back now, though.

Les, like other coaches around the league, has taken notice of UH’s improved play.

"They’re certainly playing extremely well, and I think it’s on both ends of the floor," the second-year coach said. "You’re impressed with them offensively with the numbers they can put up, they shoot a high percentage and rebound the ball well. I think we’re also seeing significant improvement defensively … which has made a big difference for them."

With the exception of a 23-turnover binge in a 21-point win over Long Beach State, UH’s ball control has been much improved throughout the winning streak. The ‘Bows are coming off a season-low seven giveaways in a 78-72 win over UC Irvine last Saturday.

They used to be last in the league in turnover margin, but now are up to eighth among 10 teams.

The only other time UH played at Davis was an 83-69 BracketBusters blowout win on Feb. 19, 2011. Zane Johnson went off for 32 points and nine 3-pointers in that game.

UH’s NCAA RPI jumped 18 spots this week, up to 189.