Maybe it was the tryptophan from the Thanksgiving weekend meals or the hangover from Friday’s emotional victory over a previously undefeated opponent.

But the Hawaii basketball team needed to awaken from a sluggish start to subdue Hawaii Pacific 58-41 before 2,240 in the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Rainbow Warriors overcame 39.3% shooting in the first half, including three of 13 on 3s, to stifle the Sharks and pull away after the intermission with improved accuracy and relentless perimeter defense.

“No excuses,” said Chris Gerlufsen, UH’s acting head coach. “I think that was an emotional win (against San Francisco) on Friday. Believe me, as a coach, you always worry about what the emotional hangover is going to be. We tried to motivate the guys in different ways. We have respect for everyone we play. You always worry about a letdown after a game like the other night. For whatever reason, we didn’t have great energy. I kept thinking we were going to hit our stride, hit our stride, and we just never hit our stride. We’ll be better.”

The ’Bows, who improved to 6-2, play a road game against Oregon on Saturday. This game did not count in the standings for the Sharks, a Division II program.

“I’m not a psychologist, but it was a tough game for them,” HPU coach Darren Vorderbruegge said of the ’Bows. “I watched the San Francisco game. I thought they played their best game of the year, UH did. And San Francisco’s good. And Oregon’s their next opponent. I thought they looked a little bit like they might be playing HPU between San Francisco and Oregon.”

Eddie Stansberry was UH’s only double-digit scorer, tallying 15 points. He made three of the ’Bows’ seven 3s.

Despite the early offensive woes, the ’Bows were aggressive at the other end. “We came out on point on defense,” point guard Drew Buggs said. “We did a good job defensively. We just didn’t make the shots we’re capable of.”

The Sharks entered with a reputation for launching shots from deep and deeper, hoisting 27.3 treys per game. “With shooters like that, you’ve got to know where they are on the floor,” Stansberry said.

The ’Bows harassed the Sharks into 1-for-16 shooting from behind the arc. The Sharks’ only 3 came with 1:40 to play on Jacob Foy’s shot from the top of the key. (Earlier, Ryan Godges’ only field goal was initially ruled a 3 before being corrected to a two-point basket.)

With Stansberry providing static-cling defense, Neema Namdar did not hit a field goal in four attempts. Buggs held David Rowlands, who entered as a 60% shooter on 3s, to four misses from behind the stripe. Forward Ronald Blain missed 14 of 15 shots. The Sharks also turned the ball over four times on shot-clock violations.

“The biggest thing we emphasized was on the defensive end,” Stansberry said. “We fed off the energy and tried to bring it in the second half.”

The ’Bows led 30-21 in the second half when they scored 10 unanswered points. The run included Buggs’ 3-point shot and Mate Colina’s free throw to complete a three-point play. That was UH’s only free throw made in five attempts.

“It’s hard to go into a college game and only shoot five free throws,” Gerlufsen said. “That kind of speaks to where our minds are at.”

But the ’Bows were able to play 11 players, their largest rotation in two weeks, and win a game in which they were heavily favored.

“A win is a win,” Gerlufsen said, “and we’re never going to give one back. We’ll take it.”