Rainbows tap into reserves for road win
Feb. 21—The Hawaii basketball team called in the reserves for Monday's 61-50 road victory over Cal State Bakersfield in Icardo Center.
The Hawaii basketball team called in the reserves for Monday's 61-50 road victory over Cal State Bakersfield in Icardo Center.
A holiday crowd of 976 witnessed a battle of attrition, with each team playing eight players because of injuries or situational matchups.
Justus Jackson came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points, Beon Riley grabbed six rebounds while helping to defend the post, and 7-foot-1 Mor Seck logged 17 minutes, 46 seconds as an imposing influencer at both ends.
"I think our bench was incredible and probably the biggest difference in the game, " said UH coach Eran Ganot, whose reserves finished with a 22-5 advantage in bench points.
"Justus had a career night. It's been coming for him. Beon Riley was all over the 50-50 balls. Mor Seck was impactful at both ends. We don't win the game without those guys. That's what you need at this stage of the year. You need guys ready to step up when they're called."
The outcome helped the'Bows achieve two milestones as they improved to 20-8 overall and 11-5 in the Big West. They became the 10th UH team to win 20 games since 1970. With four regular-season games remaining, the'Bows also clinched a winning Big West record.
"It's a mark of a program that's rising, " said Ganot, in his eighth season as head coach. "We're still writing our story. This group has done a lot to this point. I think they're hungry for more."
There were some challenges, to be sure, for the'Bows to complete a sweep of this two-game road trip. The Roadrunners have regrouped after losing point guard—and leading scorer—Kaleb Higgins to a season-ending injury last month. The Roadrunners entered averaging 73.8 points during a stretch when they won four of five. Antavion "Dude " Collum, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound post, averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in his first 15 league games.
Collum scored a game-high 19 on Monday, but the'Bows contained the Roadrunners to 35.3 % shooting and only three successful 3s. The'Bows drew 19 fouls, parlaying that into 13 of 18 free throws.
UH center Bernardo da Silva was in early foul trouble, eventually picking up his fifth in the second half, and top marksman Noel Coleman missed all three of his shots.
"Noel and Bernardo are our guys, " Ganot said. "They'll be fine, and they were great teammates, and they were impactful in getting us this win. Everybody helped us get this win."
The'Bows received a spark when point guard JoVon McClanahan hit a shot from halfcourt as time expired in the first half. UH took a 28-24 lead into the intermission.
"I had to shoot it, " said McClanahan, who finished with 15 points. "It was late shot clock. Nobody was picking me up. I was winding it up right in the middle, and pretty much aimed it, and it went in."
McClanahan praised his roommate. "Justus had an amazing game, " McClanahan said of Jackson, who hit four 3s. "I told him he can do that all the time. I'm not surprised by it, but I'm happy he had a good game."
Kamaka Hepa, who had 12 points and six rebounds, moved to center when Seck, who had replaced da Silva, needed a break. Riley, who is 6 feet 6, played power forward. The'Bows also mixed in a 2-3 zone to disrupt the Roadrunners' offensive rhythm.
"Credit to the guys for making the adjustments on the fly, " Ganot said.
