Dominating from tip-off to the playing of the alma mater, the Hawaii basketball team produced a 94-73 victory over Samford on Sunday before 2,928 in the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Warriors amassed a season-high output, and came a swish short of tying the school record of 14 successful 3s.
The mid-afternoon game featured an ensemble cast of matinee heroes. Eddie Stansberry drained five 3s (on a UH record 16 attempts from behind the arc) in tallying 23 points. Dawson Carper powered his way for 14 points on six layups on seven shots. In a game in which five Rainbow Warriors scored in double figures, the lone starter who did not — power forward Zigmars Raimo — contributed 11 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
“Everyone got involved,” said Chris Gerlufsen, UH’s acting head coach. “That was good to see. I think it was a testament to the week of practice. We probably had our best week of practice since the season started.”
The ’Bows entered with a smaller rotation because wing Justin Hemsley was unavailable with flu-like symptoms. But freshman Justin Webster played expanded minutes, hitting four 3s and finishing with 15 points. Zoar Nedd and Kameron Ng provided relief on the wing and point, respectively.
The ’Bows entered with a three-prong plan: share the ball, crank up the transition game, and force Samford point guard Josh Sharkey out of his comfort zone.
Sharkey entered averaging 16.3 points and leading the nation with 9.6 assists per game. Sharkey has two gears: fast and faster.
Stansberry said the intent was to reduce Sharkey’s options on screen-and-roll plays. “We wanted to shade him to one side, more specifically his weaker side, to keep him away from his right,” Stansberry said.
Sharkey missed his first three shots, then went on a tear, finishing the first half with 15 points.
“He was getting any looks he wanted,” Stansberry said. “Going into halftime, not only my teammates but my coaches, as well, were letting me know that. I tried to focus on how I can defend that in the second half. I noticed that’s what I needed to pick up in the second half.”
With the ’Bows sliding their man-to-man coverage, not even Sharkey’s quickness could create an open look. He missed eight of nine shots in the second half. Only six of Sharkey’s 21 points came after the intermission.
On the other end, the ’Bows assisted on 24 of their 33 baskets, and used outlet passes to jet-start 17 fast-break points.
The ’Bows also were able to solve the Bulldogs’ 1-3-1 zone, which left outside shooters elbow room in the corner and on the wing off screens. And when Raimo received passes in the high post, he would drive, then pitch to the wings or lob to 7-foot Carper.
“The way they played the defense, there’s always an open man,” Raimo said. “The high-low, I need to give credit to Dawson.”
Raimo and Carper have become in sync during often physical practices. After the game, Raimo sported a butterfly stitch covering a cut above his left eye. “Dawson’s head is really hard,” Raimo said. “That’s all I’m saying. In practice, we go hard at each other, making each other better.”
In practices leading to Sunday’s game, Gerlufsen emphasized remaining faithful to the schemes. The ’Bows did not panic when the Bulldogs made two 8-0 runs in the first half. Stansberry quelled the first one with a 3, and the second one when he drew a foul while shooting from behind the arc.
“We can’t blink,” Gerlufsen said. “The game’s a long game. It’s a game of runs. It’s all about how you respond. We settled down. We finished the half the right way (up 47-36), and consequently that carried over to the second half.”
