Runnin' Rebels run Rainbows out of town
Dec. 8—In a Las Vegas suburb, the Hawaii basketball team endured a subpar performance in 77-62 loss to UNLV at the Dollar Loan Center.
In a Las Vegas suburb, the Hawaii basketball team endured a subpar performance in 77-62 loss to UNLV at the Dollar Loan Center.
"It was just one of those days, " UH coach Eran Ganot said of the'Bows' second consecutive loss to fall to 5-3.
The'Bows could not overcome early shooting woes (27.6 % in the first 20 minutes ), UNLV guard Luis Rodriguez's mini surge in the second half, and 18 turnovers.
The Rebels entered as the nation's leader in forcing turnovers. The'Bows, who are 5-0 when not committing more than 11 turnovers, contributed to their situation with several unforced errors.
"They've done a good job of turning people over and having a lot of forced turnovers, " Ganot said. "Tonight, we had a lot of unforced ones. You can't do that against any team, let alone a good team, and on the road. We'll live and learn from it. We'll grow from it."
The unbeaten Rebels parlayed the UH turnovers into 21 points en route to their ninth consecutive victory.
UNLV, which refers to itself as the Runnin' Rebels, also sped away for 18 fastbreak points.
The'Bows connected on 22 of 62 shots in the first half, including six of 29 from behind the arc.
"I thought we were ready to go, " said Ganot, whose'Bows trailed 41-22 at the intermission. "We missed some shots. And we've let missing shots dictate how we compete in other areas. That's a big step, which we'll break through, and make us better, and you can see that in the second half."
The'Bows closed to 54-46 on freshman Harry Rouhliadeff's 3 with 9 :02 to play. After the teams traded baskets, Rodriguez, a 6-foot-6 senior guard, hit a 3 to start a run in which he scored the Rebels' next eight points to widen the margin to 65-51. Rodriguez finished with a game-high 18 points.
"When we were making our run, Rodriguez hit back to back 3s, and separated the game a little bit, " Ganot said. "Give them credit."
UH guard Noel Coleman, who entered averaging a team-high 17.4 points, was confined to six points on 2-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-6 on 3s. Coleman grabbed six rebounds, made two steals, and soared for a dunk. But some of his wide-open shots would not fall.
"I don't want him to be hesitant with those shots, " Ganot said. "He's earned the right. He missed some good looks. That happens sometimes."
Bernardo da Silva, a 6-foot-9 post, scored nine points before fouling out for the second time in his four-season UH career. Freshman posts Rouhliadeff and Mor Seck came off the bench to support da Silva. Rouhliadeff hit three 3s. Beon Riley, who missed last week's game because of an ankle injury, scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Riley came up with five of the UH's 17 offensive rebounds.
"It was good to see Beon back in there, " Ganot said. "It was good to see Harry confident. Mor gave us some good minutes. He earned the right to play more. JoVon (McClanahan, the starting point guard ) competes. At the end of the day, we have to be better when we don't make shots in terms of being balanced. We competed on the boards, but not good enough. We're continuing to defend. We have to keep building. There's a reason we're playing these games and learning."
UNLV guard Justin Webster, who was a UH co-captain during the 2019-20 season, hit three 3s and contributed 13 points for the Rebels.
UNLV drew 21 fouls, leading to hitting 23 of 28 free throws. The'Bows were 12 of 18 from the line.
The'Bows host Saint Francis on Sunday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
