In this paintball battle, Santa Clara splattered its way to a 70-58 men’s basketball victory over Hawaii at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara, Calif.

A crowd of 1,093 saw the Broncos amass 52 paint points to improve to 6-2. The Rainbow Warriors, who went 1-2 on this trip, fell to 3-3.

The ’Bows’ game plan focused on containing the Broncos’ long-distance shooting. The Broncos entered connecting on 42% of their 3s. But they were held to 3-for-11 shooting from behind the arc.

“We didn’t do us any favors with the way we defended the paint,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “And we’ve been really good in the paint.”

The ’Bows opened with a lineup featuring 7-foot Mate Colina, 6-10 Kamaka Hepa and 6-8 Jerome Desrosiers.

“When we play big like we’ve been playing, that should be the difference,” Ganot said. “It’s got to be an area we dominate. Not only did we not, we got torched. Their paint was about their penetration.”

While the ’Bows covered the perimeter with a switching man-to-man defense and wide-angle zone, the Broncos attacked the lane. Jalen Williams, a 6-foot-6 guard, was a driving force. Williams scored a career-high 30 points on 13-for-18 shooting, grabbed four rebounds, and drew six fouls.

“He took advantage because we were trying to take the other guys off the 3,” Ganot said. “He’s a good player. One of his biggest things is the ability to get deep in the paint, then use his size. He’s 6-6, 6-7, talented.”

The ’Bows’ 35-31 halftime lead dissolved during the Broncos’ 12-0 and then 10-0 runs in the second half. Williams scored 10 of the Broncos’ first 12 points of the second half to open a 45-37 lead. All five of those baskets were launched from point-blank range.

“He wasn’t shooting tough 2s as much as he was shooting at the rim with 3- or 4-footers,” Ganot said of Williams’ floaters and lay-ins.

In turn, the ’Bows failed to convert on several scoring opportunities when they were open or in transition.

“We didn’t do a good job there,” Ganot said. “We compounded that by our effort on the offensive end in the second half that caused the separation.”

Desrosiers and Colina each finished with 13 points. But Desrosiers was held scoreless in the second half.

The ’Bows were without their best rim protector, Bernardo da Silva (hand injury), and guard Noel Coleman (hip). UH’s four reserves produced six points, all in the second half.

The ’Bows return to Honolulu today. Their next game is Dec. 8 against Hawaii Pacific in SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.