Jankovic to join UH basketball team

The Hawaii basketball team received an early Christmas present on Saturday in the form of a commitment from former Missouri forward Stefan Jankovic.

Jankovic, a 6-foot-11 sophomore born in Serbia and raised in Ontario, Canada, gave an oral commitment to play for the Rainbow Warriors starting next winter. Jankovic transferred out from Mizzou on Nov. 22 seeking more playing time — coincidentally, he played briefly against UH on Nov. 16 in Kansas City, grabbing a single rebound.

He visited the Manoa campus this week and said he notified UH coach Gib Arnold of his decision on Saturday afternoon.

"In talking to my family today, I decided I wanted to commit to Hawaii and come to Honolulu," Jankovic said in a phone interview. "The deciding factor was definitely the opportunity to come in and play. I had a good two-hour convo with Coach while I was there, just talked to me about using my versatility and playing how I like to play. Another big thing was the family atmosphere."

Jankovic will enroll at UH for the spring semester and be eligible to play in mid-December 2014, giving him essentially a little more than two and a half years of eligibility.

HPU women edge Malone in hoops

Laken McClelland had 11 points, 12 rebounds and hit the go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left to help the Hawaii Pacific women’s basketball team beat Malone (Ohio) 66-63 on Saturday at Bloch Arena.

Skye Savini led HPU (7-2) with 17 points, and Brittany Hale added 14. Selana Reale had 17 points for Malone (6-4).

» Danielle Kooyman scored 18 points to help the Hawaii Hilo women beat Brigham Young-Hawaii 66-50 in a Pacific West Conference game in Laie. McKenzie Mangino had 12 points for Hilo (3-5, 1-2). Danna Lynn Hooper scored 17 for BYUH (0-8, 0-2).

» Devin Daly’s jumper with 1.2 seconds left lifted the Lake Superior State men to a 62-61 win over Chaminade at McCabe Gym. Cameron Metz had 16 points for the Lakers (11-1). Lee Bailey led Chaminade (5-5) with 14 points.