‘Bows battle back

Another power conference team felt the wrath of never-say-die Hawaii.

UH advanced to the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic for the first time since 2009 — the first year of the tournament — with a gutty 66-58 win over Nebraska of the Big Ten Conference on Monday night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 6,290 rose up with the Rainbow Warriors as they pressured the Cornhuskers into numerous late mistakes — Nebraska finished with 18 turnovers to UH’s 11 — and scored off them in key moments.

Consecutive 3s by Garrett Nevels and Roderick Bobbitt gave UH the lead for good in the final three minutes after Nebraska erased UH’s 11-point halftime lead and the teams traded the lead several times.

UH turned the emotional tide with its halfcourt press, yielding consecutive steals and slams by Aaron Valdes (game-high 15 points).

"It just comes from our defense … we weren’t getting (turnovers) early, but we stuck with it," Valdes said.

Valdes then climbed the ladder for a twisting one-handed alley-oop flush from Quincy Smith that got the arena on its feet with 9:10 to play.

"I don’t know how to explain it … I was going to come down with it , but I said why not try it," Valdes said.

UH coach Benjy Taylor added: "If that doesn’t make ESPN’s top 10, I’m going to boycott ESPN for at least three hours."

UH (9-3) knocked off Pittsburgh of the Atlantic Coast Conference on Maui last month. This one might have meant more as the ‘Bows seek their first DHC championship in the six years of the ESPN-run tourney.

Getting to the championship game will require another monumental effort. Eleventh-ranked Wichita State (9-1) awaits the Rainbow Warriors in a 4 p.m. game televised on ESPN2.

"I thought we pulled it out, but we didn’t play well tonight," Taylor said. "But we played hard, we played together. It was a unified effort. We gotta play a lot better tomorrow night, we gotta have everybody to show up … for us to have a chance."

Nebraska (6-4) has held teams under 40 percent shooting on the season, and this was no different as UH finished at 37.5.

The UH debut of sophomore forward Stefan Jankovic came early in the contest, as starting forward Mike Thomas picked up two fouls just a few minutes in.

A Missouri transfer, Jankovic played aggressively, though his rust was apparent in his first official game in a year and a half. He was cleared to play earlier in the day after completing his two redshirt semesters.

Jankovic had five points on 2-for-8 shooting and committed three turnovers.

"I’m honestly glad we got the win," Jankovic said. "Getitng some rust off, not happy with my performance, but we pulled it out and I have to keep progressing … but it was good to be out there, definitely."

Sophomore swingman Negus Webster-Chan returned to the starting lineup after a two-game absence from a sprained right ankle, scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds.

UH held UN’s top two scorers, Shavon Shields and Terran Petteway, to a combined 26 points on 7-for-23 shooting.

UH closed the first half on an 11-2 run and enjoyed an 11-point lead at halftime.

The Huskers scored two quick baskets to open the second half, forcing a quick timeout from Taylor, but they played through it and drew even with a 10-2 run.

UN forward Walter Pitchford hit back-to-back 3s for a 41-40 lead, the Huskers’ first advantage of the second half. Point guard Benny Parker followed with a jumper.

UH answered with halfcourt trapping defense, which yielded consecutive steals and slams by Valdes. UH then drew the fourth foul on Petteway.

Valdes then produced the highlight of the night, twisting in midair to make a one-handed catch and throw down on a fast break lob from Smith for a 48-43 lead.

Nebraska, unfazed, reclaimed the lead at 49-48 on a take by Tarin Smith with five minutes left.

Thomas, playing with four fouls, responded with a three-point play to make it 51-49 UH.

The Huskers tied it one more time before UH put it away.

When Nevels hit his go-ahead 3 with three minutes left, he was shooting 1-for-10 until that basket. Bobbitt followed with a 25-footer, all net, to beat the shot clock for a 6-point lead with two minutes left.

No. 11 Wichita State 80, Loyola Marymount 53

Fifteen Shockers saw action as the only ranked team in the field jumped out early in both halves and coasted into the semifinals.

The Shockers (9-1) won the rebounding and turnover battles handily, and thus held the Lions (3-7) to just 38 field goals attempted, nine fewer than the previous Diamond Head record for the least shots taken.

Darius Carter and Tekele Cotton led WSU with 12 points apiece on a combined 9-for-13 shooting.

"I thought we got 15 guys some valuable playing time," Shockers coach Gregg Marshall said. "We were able to spare our starters, top guys from playing too many minutes. When you play three games in four days, we need them to play well to come out of here with the desired result, which is a championship. One step towards that."

George Washington 77, Ohio 49

The Colonials of the Atlantic 10 Conference cranked up the defensive pressure in the second half, holding the Bobcats of the Mid-American Conference to 15 points after the break — a Diamond Head Classic record — to advance to Tuesday’s first semifinal.

George Washington (7-3) got 19 points, 15 rebounds and two blocks from Kevin Larsen and 18 points from Kethan Savage. Ohio (3-5) attempted only three free throws and had one double-digit scorer (Ryan Taylor, 13).

Colorado 82, DePaul 68

Point guard Askia Booker tied a career-high with 27 points, had six rebounds and six assists, and set a Diamond Head Classic record for most free-throw makes without a miss (14-for-14) to lead the Buffaloes (7-3). Xavier Johnson added 20 points and seven rebounds.

Booker slid a behind-the-back bounce pass to Wesley Gordon for a dunk and a 55-39 lead on DePaul (6-5) with under 14 minutes to play, and the Buffs held on to hand the Blue Demons their fourth straight defeat.

Hawaiian Airlines extends sponsorship

Hawaiian Airlines signed a two-year extension to remain the title sponsor of the Diamond Head Classic through 2016, David Matlin, the event’s executive director, announced Monday. The agreement also leaves Hawaiian Airlines an option through 2020.

HAWAII 66, NEBRASKA 58