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With will and pace, the Hawaii basketball team denied UC Irvine for a 72-67 victory on senior night.
A sold-out crowd in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center saw the short-handed Rainbow Warriors force the action, sink clutch free throws, and play sealant defense in the final three minutes.
“I just knew it was my brothers’ last game here,” point guard JoVon McClanahan said of seniors Kamaka Hepa, Samuta Avea and Juan Munoz. “I wasn’t letting us lose. It wasn’t about anything else but making winning plays, and that’s what we did collectively tonight. So many guys on our team came ready to play. We played an amazing game.”
The ’Bows had a brief turnaround following Thursday’s loss to UC Riverside. In that game, 6-foot-9 center Bernardo da Silva suffered a sprained left ankle. On Saturday morning, it was decided da Silva would not be available for the home finale. Two freshmen — 7-foot-1 Mor Seck and 6-9 Harry Rouhliadeff— were told they would split time in the post.
“I just found out in the morning I was going to make my first start,” Seck said. “My teammate was injured and I had to step up. I was ready to go.”
Seck produced his first double-double — 16 rebounds, including four from the offensive glass, and 14 points, parlaying lobs from McClanahan for two of his three dunks.
“When we were in the summer, we’d practice (the alley-oops) together,” Seck said. “We never had a chance (previously) to show what it would (be) like. I was ready to take it home.”
Rouhliadeff contributed 10 points and, along with Seck, formed a tag-team defense on UCI’s 7-foot, 258-pound center Bent Leuchten. Leuchten, who entered hitting 58.1% of his shots, was 4-for-11. “I had to step up and not think of myself as a freshman,” Rouhliadeff said. “I came out here with a lot of confidence.”
Avea, a 6-6 wing, was able to track Dawson Baker, who entered averaging 16.0 points, and point guard Pierre Crockrell II. They combined for 5-for-18 shooting.
But even against the tightest coverages, UCI guard DJ Davis found points from deep and deeper. Davis connected on six 3s from H-O-R-S-E-winning range, and finished with 27 points.
“Just a lot of reps in the gym,” Davis said of his marksmanship.
But the Anteaters could not close out halves. They missed their final five shots of the first half but still led 35-33 at the intermission. They also could not build on — or maintain — a 59-53 lead with 8:02 to play. The ’Bows went on a momentum-altering 9-0 run to take a 60-59 lead. During the surge, McClanahan made a steal and fed Noel Coleman, who sprinted downcourt. Coleman passed to Avea, who slipped a pass to Seck for the dunk.
It was 62-59 when Hepa picked up his fourth foul with 4:29 to play. Hepa remained in the game. “I needed to be in there,” Hepa said.
Down the stretch, McClanahan attacked the lane for layups, fouls or pitchouts to open shooters. McClanahan drew eight fouls, leading to 10-of-11 free-throw shooting. McClanahan scored 14 points in the second half to finish with a career-high 27.
“Oh, man, I was in a rhythm all night,” McClanahan said. “I wanted to be aggressive.”
UH led 70-64 when Davis buried another 3 while falling backward with 33.8 seconds to go. But after the Anteaters knocked the ball out of bounds with 15.6 seconds left, McClanahan was fouled with 10.1 seconds to go. He swished both free throws for a 72-67 advantage.
Davis misfired on his final two 3s, the last rebounded by Hepa as time expired.
“We have to figure out how to close games,” Davis said of the Anteaters missing 10 of their final 13 shots. “We’ve been good at that recently. But we weren’t able to figure it out tonight,”
After the game, the ’Bows celebrated Munoz — who did not play this season because of an Achilles injury — Avea and Hepa. Covered in lei and emotion, Hepa reflected on two years with the ’Bows after transferring from Texas. Avea, a Kahuku High graduate, was instrumental in Hepa picking UH.
“Every time there was a dead ball, I’d take a deep breath and take in the moment,” Hepa said. “I knew it would be the last time I’d play in here unless they invite me to some alumni game I don’t know about. I’m grateful for being able to play for the University of Hawaii.”
The ’Bows, who are 21-9 overall and 12-6 in the Big West, close out the regular season with road games against Cal State Northridge on Thursday and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday. After that, they will play in the single-elimination Big West Tournament in the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev.
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February 26, 2023 at 05:09PM
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Splendid sendoff for Hawaii’s three seniors before sold-out crowd - Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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