Against a heckling student section known collectively as the “Havoc” and a hostile defense that forced 20 turnovers, the Hawaii basketball team’s best second effort was not enough in a 78-72 loss to Grand Canyon at Global Credit Union Arena in Phoenix.
A mostly pajama-clad crowd of 7,004 saw the ’Bows rely on their reserves to chip into a deficit that once reached 18 points.
The ’Bows closed to 64-62 on forward Gytis Nemeiksa’s 3 with 4:50 to go. It was the ’Bows’ 10th consecutive shot without a miss. But GCU wing Collin Moore hit a jumper from the top of the key while being fouled by Marcus Greene. Moore’s ensuing free throw made it 67-62.
UH guard Ryan Rapp’s driving layup cut the deficit to 67-66 with 2:28 to play. Tyon Grant-Foster, a highly regarded NBA prospect, then threw a no-look pass from the free-throw line to the post, where Lok Wur parlayed it into a dunk to spark a 5-0 run. Six of Wur’s seven points came on jams — a painful reminder of a prospect who twice got away from the ’Bows’ recruiting pursuit. Grant-Foster, a 6-foot-7 guard, finished with 24 points.
The Antelopes’ final seven points came on free throws. They were 24-for-32 from the line, including 17-for-21 on free throws in the second half. The ’Bows were 12-for-20 on free throws.
“Good job on the glass, good job defensively,” UH coach Eran Ganot said of the ’Bows’ play after the intermission. “But we couldn’t keep them off the line.”
The ’Bows constructed a 35-25 rebounding advantage. But twice an Antelope looped around an attempted blockout to rebound a missed GCU free throw. The two offensive boards were redeemed for second-chance points. “They capitalized on that,” Ganot said.
UH center Tanner Christensen, who was trapped by the Antelopes’ collapsing defense, tallied six points on 1-for-3 shooting. UH point guard Tom Beattie was limited to three points in 14 minutes, 24 seconds because of an illness. “Other guys had to step up, and our bench gave us a huge lift,” Ganot said.
Nemeiksa scored 17 of his career-high 24 points in the second half. He buried four wide-open 3s on drive-and-pitchouts from Greene and Ryan Rapp.
“You saw the power of our versatility — Gytis from the perimeter and inside, Marcus starting to attack the rim,” Ganot said.
Reserves Nemeiksa, Greene, Akira Jacobs and Jerome Palm outscored the starters 49-23. The backups shot 58.1%, including 6-for-13 on 3s. The starters shot 32%, including 2-for-10 from beyond the arc.
But the ’Bows’ early turnovers and inability to get to the line consistently led to their second loss in seven games this season. Hawaii’s two-game road trip concludes with Saturday’s Big West opener against Long Beach State. The Antelopes also are 5-2.
Against Grand Canyon, the ’Bows found themselves in a deep first-half hole.
The ’Bows turned the ball over 13 times — the Antelopes had eight first-half steals — missed seven of 16 free throws, and were 2-for-11 from behind the arc in falling behind 43-27 at the intermission.
The ’Bows had difficulty against the Antelopes’ ball pressure and transitions. In the first half, the Antelopes built a 16-3 advantage on points off turnovers, including what Ganot described as three “pick-6s,” and 18-10 on fast breaks.
GRAND CANYON 78, HAWAII 72
RAINBOW WARRIORS (5-2)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Rouhliadeff 18 1-4 0-0 8 1 2 2
Christensen 24 1-3 4-7 6 1 4 6
Williams 20 3-7 0-0 2 2 4 8
Beattie 14 1-4 1-2 0 2 0 3
Rapp 36 2-7 0-0 7 4 3 4
Nemeiksa 27 8-11 4-5 4 0 2 24
Greene 28 7-14 2-2 5 2 4 17
Jacobs 22 2-5 1-4 1 0 3 6
Palm 11 1-1 0-0 2 1 1 2
TEAM 0
TOTALS 200 26-56 12-20 35 13 23 72
ANTELOPES (5-2)
MIN FG-A FT-A R A PF PTS
Coles 26 4-9 2-2 2 2 3 10
Brennan 25 1-3 3-4 2 0 4 5
Harrison 32 4-10 6-8 7 1 1 15
Grant-Foster 31 6-1711-15 6 2 2 23
Moore 30 4-6 1-1 2 2 1 11
Williams 13 0-2 0-0 2 0 3 0
Wur 27 3-6 1-2 3 1 1 7
Shaw 7 0-1 0-0 0 2 0 0
Phipps 7 2-2 0-0 1 1 1 5
Maurer 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 2
TEAM 0
TOTALS 200 25-57 24-32 25 11 16 78
Halftime — Grand Canyon 43, Hawaii 27
3-point goals —Hawaii 8-25 (Nemeiksa
4-6, Williams 2-5, Greene 1-3, Jacobs 1-4,
Rouhliadeff 0-2, Rapp 0-5) , Grand Canyon
4-16 (Moore 2-3, Phipps 1-1, Harrison 1-4,
Coles 0-1, Williams 0-1, Wur 0-1, Shaw 0-1,
Grant-Foster 0-4). Steals — Hawaii 3 (Beattie, Nemeiksa, Greene). Grand Canyon 13
(Grant-Foster 4, Moore 4, Harrison 2, Wur 2,
Brennan). Blocked shots — Hawaii 4
(Rouhliadeff, Christensen). Grand Canyon 4
(Grant-Fister 3, Wur). Turnovers — Hawaii
20 (Williams 4, Greene 4, Nemeiksa 2,
Rouhliadeff 2, Beattie 2, Christensen 2,
Rapp 2, Palm, Team). Grand Canyon 8 (Williams 2, Shaw 2, Brennan, Harrison, Moore,
Wur). Technical fouls — none. Officials —
Brooks Wells, Matthew Rukasin, Glen Mayberry. A — 7,004.
