by HONOLULU – The University of Hawaii men’s basketball team got back on the winning track with an emphatic 90-66 win over Saint Francis Sunday at the SimipliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors broke open a one-point game at half with a scoring spree after the break to snap a two-game skid and improve to 6-3 on the year.
Kamaka Hepa enjoyed a massive performance with a career-high 30 points and 14 rebounds. The senior went 12-of-18 from the field and 5-of-7 on three-pointers while adding two assists, two blocks and zero turnovers.
Hepa’s performance helped offset an impressive night by Josh Cohen who racked up 40 points – his second such this season – in a losing effort for the Red Flash (3-8). Cohen fell just one point shy of any arena record.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with 13 lead changes. Saint Francis came out of the gates strong, hitting seven of its first nine shots, to take an early 16-11 lead. UH held the Red Flash scoreless in the final 2:53 of the final frame to take a slight 37-36 lead into the locker room. Cohen exploded for 21 first-half points (10-of-12 FGs) while Hepa tied his career-high in the first half alone with 19 points to fuel their respective teams.
UH seized the second half from the beginning, scoring 10 of the first 14 points after the break, punctuated by a Samuta Avea slam. With Cohen’s stellar play, it was still a close 56-50 game with 12 minutes left. But that’s when UH turned on the afterburners, with a 12-2 run that gave them a double-digit lead they would build on through the rest of the half.
After the Red Flash shot 52 percent in the first half, UH held them to just 35 percent shooting in the second half. Meanwhile, UH re-discovered its shooting touch by going 54 percent for the game, including a season-best 11-of-20 from three-point range. UH racked up 19 assists and committed just five turnovers.
