Runnin’ Rainbows

Hawaii took its new fun-and-gun identity out for a spin.

The Rainbow Warriors went high octane in the open court, speeding to their largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent in a season opener with an 85-55 dismantling of Tennessee State at the Stan Sheriff Center on Friday night.

UH bothered the Tigers of the Ohio Valley Conference with fullcourt presses in the early going and capitalized for several easy buckets in building a 21-point halftime lead on Day 1 of the 49th Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic.

In the second game, Western Michigan beat New Mexico State 70-64.

The Tigers committed 11 of their 14 turnovers in the first half, many against the press, before UH mostly dropped back in the second period. The crowd of about 4,500 watched the ‘Bows empty their bench to high-fives all around.

"I really like up-tempo. I really like to press," said fourth-year UH coach Gib Arnold, who remained perfect in season openers and Rainbow Classic games (7-0). "I still want to push on makes and misses, and I want to add pressure defensively. I thought our press was great."

The ‘Bows did not miss departed three-year starting center Vander Joaquim in this one. UH overhauled its guard play from last season, which concluded at 17-15 on a four-game losing streak. But forwards Christian Standhardinger and Isaac Fotu still did the bulk of the damage. Standhardinger had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Fotu added 16 points and eight boards.

"We still know where our bread is buttered," Arnold said. "Those bigs are really good. They still get the majority of the shots, the majority of the touches."

Junior guard Garrett Nevels, a junior college transfer, chipped in 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting in his UH debut. New starting point guard Keith Shamburger had six points, four assists and four steals in his first official game since leaving San Jose State.

Expect more of the same fullcourt action against Western Michigan on Day 2 of the round-robin tournament, at least until the Broncos solve it consistently.

"That works great for us. We like to play fast," Fotu said. "Fast-break basketball is how we play now. If it keeps on working we’re not going to change it."

At one point in the second half, 7-foot center Davis Rozitis started a fast break himself off a block at the rim by freshman Mike Thomas. Rozitis fed redshirt freshman Aaron Valdes for a dunk, getting the Sheriff crowd on its feet.

Valdes (nine points, six rebounds, two steals) started in place of injured Brandon Spearman, who isn’t expected back for several more weeks. Sophomore newcomer Quincy Smith played eight minutes after dealing with back tightness the past week.

While the ‘Bows were better in the open court than the halfcourt, it was still a complete-game effort against an overmatched foe that lost four starters from last year’s 18-15 team.

UH went 7-for-7 in the statistical goals it outlines before any given game. It made more free throws than its opponent shot (28-for-37 against 12-for-17), kept its opponent under 40 percent shooting from the field (36.8 percent) and below 30 percent on 3-pointers (6.7 percent), while committing fewer than 12 turnovers (nine) and outrebounding the foe by five or more (47-28) with a plus-three margin in steals (9-3). Lastly, it shot at least 75 percent from the free-throw line (75.7 percent).

"When you do those, you’re going to have a pretty good outcome," Arnold said.

Returning All-OVC guard Patrick Miller was the Tigers’ only proven weapon heading into the season. Miller was held in check with two points and three turnovers at halftime, though he finished with 15 points.

"We told them to be ready for the press, but they were able to speed us up," TSU coach Travis Williams said. "Guys got in the mind-frame of taking bad shots, quick shots, and we didn’t execute our offense."

UH closed the first half on a 21-7 run for a 21-point halftime lead. The ‘Bows extended their advantage to 48-20 with the first seven points of the second half.

UH’s previous largest opening win over D-I opponent was 24 points against UC Irvine in 1972.

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