Hawaii applied “White-out” on its game against Texas State.

The young Rainbow Warriors effectively rewrote a terrible first half by coming together for a rousing comeback, rallying past the Bobcats 74-68 on Day 2 of the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

A “White-out” Sunday turnstile crowd of 2,805 was silenced as UH yielded the game’s first 10 points and trailed the Sun Belt team by 12 at halftime. It was a party by the finish, though, as the ’Bows closed it out on a 16-5 run.

UH (1-1) shot 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field and 85 percent (17-for-20) from the foul line in the second half to avoid its first 0-2 start since the 2008-09 season. The score didn’t swing until 3:43 to play, 65-63, on Sheriff Drammeh’s free throws.

“That’s a big breakthrough for us a team, to win the second half by 18 points,” said forward Gibson Johnson, one of four UH players in double-figure scoring. “We didn’t play the best game the other day (69-68 loss Friday against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), similar first half (Sunday). That was a big breakthrough for us as a unit. That’s how we can play basketball and that’s going to be big for us moving forward.”

Before UH’s game, Edwardsville defeated Florida Atlantic 77-68 to improve to 2-0 for the first time in the Cougars’ Division I history. FAU dropped to 0-2 heading into Monday’s nationally televised 11:15 p.m. matchup with UH in the ESPN Tip-off Marathon.

“(We) had a moment today,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “Now the challenge is handling success and the quick turnaround.”

Hawaii’s starting five did most of the heavy lifting Sunday: Jack Purchase scored 15, Sheriff Drammeh 14, and Johnson and Noah Allen had 13 apiece. Freshman Leland Green scored the first seven points of his career all after halftime.

At first, it didn’t look like any of them would have something to celebrate. The Rainbows shot 37 percent and committed 10 turnovers in an erratic first half and fell behind 38-26.

“To be honest, that first half was brutal,” Ganot said. “I know I’m young, relatively, but it is my 14th year (coaching basketball). And I don’t think I’ve seen a team play more selfishly in the first half. And that is really easy to guard.”

But UH, trailing by nine with 14:13 to play, rallied behind an unlikely lineup which included “Hawaii 5-O” bench alums Brocke Stepteau and Zach Buscher and freshman center Ido Flaisher.

That group played unselfishly, and it was contagious.

“I think you guys saw last year, I’m not scared to do that,” Ganot said, referring to the Big West tournament in March. “You have to trust your bench.”

Stepteau hit a corner 3 and Flaisher scored five straight to tie it up for the first time at 55. Purchase canned a corner 3 to beat the shot-clock buzzer and match the Bobcats at 58.

“I think in the second half we moved the ball well, were able to speed up our offense and execute it,” Purchase said.

Texas State (1-1) committed only nine turnovers and still led by five points with five minutes to play.

UH kept coming, and kept getting to the line. Meanwhile, the Bobcats bricked half of their 18 attempts there, and team leading scorer Kavin Gilder-Tilbury (18 points) was bottled up down the stretch.

“Without a doubt (the whistles were a factor),” said Bobcats coach Danny Kaspar, adding UH made some key 3s. “First of all, though, they executed very well and they’re a very good free throw shooting team.

“I don’t want to talk about that being the difference in the game, but we couldn’t get a foul in the second half and they shot 20.”

Green’s first career triple tied it for the last time at 63 with 4:15 left.

Johnson boosted UH’s sudden lead to five with a minute left on a layup inside on a nifty feed from Allen.

“That was a big play,” Johnson said. “That was a play we weren’t making in the first half, where maybe we were throwing the ball up. Instead he dished it off, made an easy bucket for me.”

UH had 10 assists against four turnovers in the second half.

Drammeh, who had a game-high eight rebounds at point guard, put it away by going 3-for-4 from the line in the final minute.

UH TIPOFF

FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT HAWAII

Also: SIU-Edwardsville (2-0) vs. Texas State (0-2), 6 p.m.

——————

WHEN: 11:15 p.m. today * WHERE: Stan Sheriff Center

Florida atlantic (0-2)

Projected starting lineup:

WHEN FLORIDA ATLANTIC HAS THE BALL

This is easily the largest team UH has seen so far this season, but FAU hasn’t been able to capitalize. The Owls have struggled to shoot the ball, converting only 33.3 percent in both Rainbow games. Guard Gerdarius Troutman hit six 3s off the bench Sunday against SIUE for 20 points, a team season high.

HAWAII RAINBOW WARRIORS (1-1)

Projected starting lineup:

WHEN HAWAII HAS THE BALL

The Rainbow Warriors showed their first real comfort in their four-out offense in the second half of their win against Texas State. Green and Allen hit their first 3s of the season and UH assisted on 17 of 23 field-goals for the game. UH could use more of that from Green, who settled in after some early rushed shots.

TV: ESPN2 * Radio: KKEA 1420-AM