HENDERSON, NEV. >> Defying UC Riverside’s best parting shot, the University of Hawaii basketball team held on for a 68-67 victory in Thursday night’s quarterfinals in Dollar Loan Center.
“We have a lot of fight in us,” forward Jerome Desrosiers said of the Rainbow Warriors, who advance to tonight’s semifinal round against Cal State Fullerton in the Big West Championships. “We play until the buzzer sounds. That’s what we’re going to keep doing.”
Junior Madut hit two free throws to extend the ’Bows’ lead to 68-65 with 16 seconds left.
Then UH guard JoVon McClanahan fouled Dominick Pickett with 6.1 seconds to play. Pickett swished both free throws to close the Highlanders to 68-67.
Madut then was fouled with 5.2 seconds left. Madut missed the front end of the 1-and-1 free throw, and the Highlanders suctioned the rebounded and raced the other way.
“They came down and I tried to stop it,” Madut said. “They kicked it back to (Wil) Tattersall (at the top of the key).”
Tattersall, a 6-foot-7 wing, had connected on 36.7% of his 3s. But with the 6-foot-8 Desrosiers sliding over as a challenger, this was the result of the other 63.3% of Tattesrall’s 3-point attempts. The shot was off the mark as the final horn sounded, triggering the ’Bows’ jubilant on-court celebration.
“It reminded me of that play Villanova made,” said Desrosiers, referencing Kris Jenkins’ buzzer shot to win the NCAA Tournament in 2016. “I saw (Tattersall) coming back. He’s a good shooter. I think he was shooting 50% in conference. I just jumped as high as I could.”
UCR point guard Zyon Pullin, who scored a game-high 23 points, said it was the right play — and shooter. “We’re confident he knocks it down,” Pullin said. “I’ve got max confidence in Wil.”
UCR off guard Flynn Cameron said: “He’s done it throughout the season. The ball in his hand with the last seconds on the clock, we all got his back. It was a great shot.”
The outcome vaulted the ’Bows out of the tournament’s quarterfinals for the first time since 2016, a streak of four opening-round losses. (The 2020 tournament was canceled because of the pandemic.)
UH coach Eran Ganot praised the ’Bows’ season-long resilience — three potential starters are out for the year, including leading scorer Noel Coleman — and the boisterous UH fans who attended the game. “I couldn’t even hear (UCR’s) fans,” Madut said.
For inspiration, Coleman’s No. 4 jersey was placed on the bench and in the locker room. Coleman, who is recovering from an orbital fracture, did not make the trip.
UCR coach Mike Magpayo said the outcome was not decided in the final seconds. “It’s a one-point game, what play could we have called or made?” Magpayo said. “I thought the story of the game was their offensive rebounds. They had 13 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points. Every time we were able to make them miss, they got on the glass on us.”
The ’Bows rebounded 40.6% of their missed shots. UH centers Bernardo da Silva and Mate Colina each had three offensive boards. Desrosiers, who often had to move to the five when the UH centers were in foul trouble, recycled five of his offensive rebounds into four putbacks.
With UH leading 64-63 with 2:40 to go, Amoro Lado attempted a running jumper from the right corner. Desrosiers grabbed the rebound and scored on a layup for a 66-63 UH lead.
“That was a big difference in the game,” Ganot said of the offensive rebounds. “We had more possessions when you talk about turnovers and second chances.”
UH’s defense also helped contain Callum McRae, UCR’s 7-foot-1, 295-pound space eater. UCR’s offense often runs through McRae, who is skilled in setting high screens to open the lanes or receiving lobs in the low post for close-range shots or to redistribute to outside shooters. McRae finished with six points on 2-for-9 shooting. Madut also went right at McRae to draw a key foul with 16 seconds left.
UH was able to weather Cameron’s three consecutive 3s and Pullin’s surge when he hit seven of eight shots.
“The game could have gone either way,” Magpayo said. “It happened to bounce their way.”
