Yale overcame road fatigue and Hawaii’s relentless rebounding for a 62-59 overtime victory in Monday night’s final round of the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Bulldogs did not attempt a free throw in the first half and missed five of 12 in the second. But 6-foot-4 guard August Mahoney swished all four of Yale’s free throws in extra play, including two to complete the scoring with 13.2 seconds left, as the Bulldogs finished 3-0 in the round robin.
The ’Bows had chances to extend the game into a second overtime. First, Noel Coleman misfired on a 3 from the right wing. Beon Riley grabbed the offensive rebound and tried to draw an in-the-act-of shooting foul. But he missed the putback and the officials did not call a foul.
UH guard JoVon McClanahan chased down the rebound in the left corner and fired to Samuta Avea, who back-stepped behind the arc. But Avea’s 3-point attempt was off the mark as the final horn sounded.
“Both teams were playing through their third game in four days,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “It was one possession either way. I’m proud of our guys. This is a good experience, good tournament for us. Our guys battled.”
Yale coach James Jones said the tournament format was beneficial. Ivy League teams often play conference games on back-to-back nights.
“So playing three games in four days, no one is used to that, but we’re probably more used to it than most programs and most teams because of our league play,” Jones said.
Both teams had slow starts, missing a combined eight field-goal attempts before the first media timeout. Yale led 17-16 at the intermission.
The ’Bows, who missed their five 3s in the first half, found their groove, thanks to McClanahan. The third-year Rainbow Warrior was a reluctant shooter in the first two games, but he became an aggressor after Monday’s intermission. McClanahan hit consecutive 3s to give the ’Bows a 32-28 lead with 13:59 remaining in regulation. He also interrupted the Bulldogs’ tempo with his feisty defense.
“JoVon has had a really good year,” Ganot said. “He’s a pleaser, and he puts a lot on himself. It’s good to see him play with confidence. That’ll make us better moving forward.”
Coleman’s two free throws gave UH a 51-49 lead with 32.4 seconds left in regulation. Then Mahoney was fouled on a drive with 18.8 seconds to play. Mahoney hit both free throws to tie it.
Coleman’s go-ahead attempt was rejected by EJ Jarvis, and Isaiah Kelly secured the rebound to force overtime.
The Bulldogs raced to
56-51 lead. But Kamaka Hepa drained a 3 and McClahanan scored on a left-handed scoop to tie it.
After Mahoney missed a driving layup, Hepa got the ball behind the arc. But his shot did not fall, and Yassine Gharram grabbed the rebound and threw long to Kelly for the dunk. The Bulldogs managed only four fast break points.
Mahoney’s two free throws extended the margin to 60-56. Hepa answered with a 3, but UH would not score again.
The ’Bows dominated the boards, building a 53-33 advantage, including 18-6 off the offensive glass. But the Bulldogs were able to frustrate the ’Bows into 32.8% shooting. The ’Bows were 6-for-21 on 3s, with Coleman going 0-for-6 from behind the arc.
“That’s what you have to do when you want to win on the road,” Jones said. “You have to find ways to win, and I think our guys gutted it out. We got killed on the glass, and it didn’t matter because we were really good defensively. I thought our guys did a really good job of locking them down.”
