Defense leads blowout

Some of those nagging questions were given the proverbial shhhh.

Can the backcourt of the Hawaii men’s basketball team hold up under scrutiny? Can UH shoot from long range? Will center Vander Joaquim be consistent in his return from a knee injury?

On this night: yes, yes, and yes. Behind a lockdown defensive effort and four players in double-figure scoring, the Rainbow Warriors blitzed Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the second half for an 81-54 win on Sunday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The lopsided win sets up a winner-take-all contest for UH (2-0) against Houston Baptist (2-0) for the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic title at 11 p.m. The game is televised live on ESPN as part of the annual College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon.

"We just know it’s for a championship. We’re going to be juiced and ready to go," said senior point guard Jace Tavita. "It’s going to be a challenge, but it’ll be fun to be on the ESPN game, in the late-night game."

UH was bothered early by UAPB’s quickness and athleticism; the hosts trailed for the last time at 27-25 with less than six minutes to play in the first half. But UH closed the half on an 8-0 run and responded with stepped-up, alternating man and zone defenses in the second period, holding the Golden Lions to 18.4 percent shooting in the decisive half (7-for-38) and 26.2 percent for the game. At the other end, UH handled some light pressure and shot 49.1 percent over UAPB’s zone defense, including 45.8 percent from long range (11-for-24).

"(UAPB) started strong, had a good scout on us. They were in the passing lanes," UH coach Gib Arnold said. "Give our guys credit for maintaining their composure and weathering the storm, and getting stops on the defensive end."

Hauns Brereton led the efficient night with 15 points and nine rebounds. He went 3-for-6 on 3-pointers and was one of six UH players to shoot 50 percent or better from distance. Joaquim had 15 points in 19 minutes off the bench, shooting guard Brandon Spearman scored 12 and forward Christian Standhardinger added 11.

"I think (our effectiveness) was the fact that Jace, Christian and Spearman all knocked down 3s to open up the zone," Brereton said. "Vander went in there and owned it and opened up the lanes."

Arnold said afterward that Joaquim’s second strong showing as a reserve convinced the coach to move his preseason All-Big West center into the starting lineup tonight. He’ll displace either shooting guard Brandon Spearman or forward Isaac Fotu, depending on whether Arnold wants to go big or small.

Tavita ran the show effectively most of the night, recording 10 assists, eight points and five rebounds. He did have six of UH’s 17 turnovers, but freshman Manroop Clair spelled him effectively when Tavita had some early foul trouble.

UAPB (0-2) held a narrow lead for much of the first half with aggressive offensive rebounding. But UH’s swapping defenses, anchored by Joaquim, flummoxed the Lions on one end and led to points on the other.

UH went on a 27-7 run bridging the halves and never looked back. In the end, UH won the boards battle by seven.

Arnold was afforded the opportunity to empty his bench by the end. Eleven different players scored, including freshmen Clair, Ozren Pavlovic and Michael Harper for the first time in their UH careers.

"Guys came in and they made plays. I think that’s the sign of a good basketball team," UAPB coach George Ivory said. "(UH) was running the floor, stretching us out and making us run. They made some shots tonight."

After going for 27 points in his UH debut vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday, Standhardinger had two of his first shots spiked emphatically out of bounds and was held to four points in the first half.

UAPB packed it in and dared UH to shoot from outside in the early going.

Tavita responded by hitting his first two 3-point attempts for a 15-13 UH lead. But he was called for a blocking foul with 11:16 left in the period, his second. Clair came on in relief and seemed to gain confidence by the minute.

The Lions led for the last time on an offensive board and three-point play by Mitchell Anderson. From there, UH got five points from Brereton during the 8-0 run to end the break, at which the hosts led 33-27.

Guard Lazabian Jackson led UAPB with 12 points.

Houston Baptist 70, Maryland-Eastern Shore 55

The Huskies of the Great West Conference shot 57.7 percent from the field and got 22 points from Art Bernardi to head unbeaten into tonight’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon contest vs. UH.

It will be the first appearance in school history on ESPN’s flagship channel, said HBU coach Ron Cottrell.

"Certainly it’s a milestone not just for our basketball team, but for our university," Cottrell said. "We want to show well, play well. We know it will be a difficult challenge against Hawaii on their home court. Certainly the late night makes it even more difficult, it’s 3 o’clock in the morning back home. But our guys are excited about it.

Kyree Jones led the Hawks (0-2) of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with 28 points on 9-for-12 shooting.

Note

Tonight’s promotion: Blackout night. All fans are encouraged to wear black.