by LĀ’IE, O’ahu – The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team’s first trek to the North Shore was a successful one with a 79-55 blowout win over Hawai’i Pacific Saturday afternoon the Cannon Activities Center. UH improved to 3-1 on the young season with the victory.
Making its North Shore debut in front of an enthusiastic crowd on the campus of BYU-Hawai’I, the Rainbow Warriors used a torrid start and lockdown defense all game to propel themselves to victory.
UH led from wire to wire. The ‘Bows buit a double-digit lead less than four minutes in and nailed eight of its first 10 shots to lay a haymaker on the Sharks right off the bat. UH held a commanding 43-23 lead at the break and would maintain a comfortable lead throughout in defeating HPU for the sixth straight time in the regular season.
UH sported a balanced attack with four players in double digits led by Noel Coleman and Kamaka Hepa with 13 points each. Hepa added a career-high 12 rebounds for his first-ever double-double.
Freshman Harry Rouhliadeff scored a season-high 10 points – all of them coming the in the first half, while JoVon McClanahan also finished with 10 points, with all but two coming in the decisive first half. Samuta Avea who hails from nearby Hau’ula and won a state title at Kahuku High School scored four points and had an assist in his homecoming.
HPU scored the first eight points of the second half but UH was never truly threatened as the ‘Bows’ lead would balloon to as many as 32 points. UH shot 56 percent from the game, while holding the Sharks to just 37 percent shooting. UH held a 42-24 advantage in the paint and 36-26 advantage on the glass, while the Rainbow Warrior bench outscored the Sharks 31-19.
