At less than full strength, Hawaii got past Division II neighbor Hawaii Pacific on Saturday night.

But less than full strength might not cut it in the Rainbow Warriors’ upcoming signature event of the nonconference season.

The Rainbows hope to have all their weaponry back for the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic tournament starting Dec. 22 against Northern Iowa. Seventh-ranked Oklahoma headlines the eight-team field and is on the same side of the bracket as UH.

UH (7-1) blew open Saturday’s 83-71 matchup in the second half despite missing point guard Roderick Bobbitt, the Big West Conference leader in assists per game. He wasn’t dressed to play and watched the action from the bench. No reason was given by coach Eran Ganot for his absence, though all indications were Bobbitt was fine physically.

“These 10 days (off from games), I would expect our team to be ready to roll,” the first-year coach said.

Ganot envisions the lengthy break as a time for the team to come together as well as handle things on the academic front with final exams.

“Practice is critical. Practice is everything,” he said. “You don’t get as many times to practice once everything gets crazy. We have a 10-day window to really work on some things. And how we take advantage of it will determine our success moving forward.”

In front of a Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 2,649, UH had to overcome some early struggles against HPU, which showcased a capable combination of shooting and size. The teams were tied at 31 at halftime. Some pointed commentary in the locker room helped shake the Rainbows out of it and shoot 56.3 percent in the second half.

“I feel like we responded well,” said forward Stefan Jankovic, who shot 10-for-14 for a career high of 29 points. “We had a good halftime talk, and it was more so between us, the players. We just got on each other, A.V. (Aaron Valdes), Isaac (Fleming), everyone, and Q (Quincy Smith). We just got together and showed leadership.”

With Bobbitt sidelined, Fleming stepped into the starting lineup for the third time in his career, and first of the season, and registered 16 points and four assists.

“Basketball’s basketball, whether somebody’s playing or somebody’s not,” Fleming said. “You just gotta step in, do your part, and stay disciplined.”

Valdes was coming off a 33-point night against Hawaii Hilo on Tuesday, but went scoreless in the first half. He helped key a 17-0 run in the second session with several buckets, including a rim-rocking baseline tomahawk dunk, and finished with 12 points. He also helped mitigate Bobbitt’s absence by dishing a career-high seven assists.

Smith added 10 points and seven rebounds, although the guard struggled mightily at the line again, going 4-for-13.

UH withstood a late 10-0 run by the Sharks (4-3), who counted the game as an exhibition. Guard Trevor Baker led the Sharks with 15 points off the bench, including a 3-for-4 effort on 3s in the first half to keep the PacWest team in it.

But HPU withered a bit once UH turned up the juice in the second half. The Sharks went scoreless for more than five minutes in the middle of the period.

“We got stuck on 43, I remember looking up and seeing that for a long time,” HPU coach Darren Vorderbruegge said. “We knew going in that this was not a situation where we could play from behind and come back to win. Once they got that separation, they were just too talented.”

With Fleming’s move to the starting lineup, the UH bench was without much of its teeth. HPU’s reserves outscored those of UH 37-8.

Jankovic said he “most definitely” expected Bobbitt back moving forward, including for the nationally televised Diamond Head.

“It’s showtime. ESPN baby,” Jankovic said.