It was a night to forget for the Hawaii men's basketball team as they were bested by UC Irvine in a game that quickly spiraled out of their control. The Rainbow Warriors, who shot a dismal season-low of 31.1%, couldn't make up for the rough start that saw them trail by 11 points right out of the gate at the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California, Spectrum Local News reported.
The woes for Hawaii (12-8, 4-5 BWC) started early in the game when, they found themselves unable to find the net, missing their first four shots and accumulating three turnovers before the first media pause according to Star-Advertiser. The UH squad, who aimed to bounce back from a narrow defeat at UC Davis earlier in the week, continued to struggle as most of their attempts seemed to bounce over the rim, much to the dismay of coach Eran Ganot who lamented their performance stating, "You won’t see more layups thrown over the rim."
Hawaii made a push in the second half, cutting the deficit to four points with 10 minutes left in the game, a glimpse of hope lit by free throws from Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, but UC Irvine clamped down and retaliated with a quick 11-0 run to reestablish their dominance. Ganot recognized the short-lived momentum by saying, "I do appreciate our guys fighting back to cut it to four with plenty of time," before acknowledging the lapses that followed, as reported by Star-Advertiser.
Despite its starters combining for a scant 18 points, the Rainbow Warriors found some solace in their bench, with Akira Jacobs contributing a team-high 12 points. That being said, it's back to the drawing board for the Rainbow Warriors, who are now tied for seventh place in the Big West Conference and will be bracing themselves for upcoming games against UC San Diego and Cal State Fullerton. UC Irvine's guard Myles Che led the Anteater scoring charge with 17 points, and the team's commendable ball-sharing led to 22 of their 27 made field goals coming off of assists, per details from Spectrum Local News.
As the Big West season progresses, teams are looking to clinch one of the eight qualifying spots for the postseason tournament. Hawaii's recent struggles on the court could jeopardize their participation unless they manage to turn the tides in their upcoming encounters. With the loss, Hawaii is certainly feeling the pressure as the season advances and the margin for error continues to narrow. "If we’re making that next move, we’ve got to get smarter and more consistent," Ganot emphasized in his team's need for improvement to secure a spot in the postseason, as he told the Star-Advertiser.
