The University of Hawaii men's basketball team experienced a challenging night, succumbing to a 66-49 defeat against UC Irvine. The Rainbow Warriors faced a formidable opposition with the Anteaters showing their mettle, particularly on defense, leading to season lows for UH in points and field-goal percentage, as reported by Spectrum Local News.
In a match where overcoming UC Irvine's early aggression was key, the Warriors failed to gain traction, starting with turnovers on their first three possessions and never quite finding their rhythm, a struggle echoed from their first encounter back in January, Hawaii Athletics reported. With this loss, the Rainbow Warriors' record fell to 14-12 overall and 6-9 in Big West play, meanwhile, the Anteaters improved to 22-4, 12-2 in the league, keeping them neck and neck with UC San Diego at the top of the standings.
From the stands, previous standout players Mamadou N'diaye and Quincy Smith observed the Saturday game as UH's issues with early turnovers and finishing near the rim persisted, with head coach Eran Ganot telling Spectrum Local News, "The worst two games I think we've ever coached, finishing around the rim (was against UCI). It was almost — and I hate saying it — like we were afraid."
An unfortunate blemish on the game came in the second half when UCI guard Myles Che was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul after striking UH wing Ryan Rapp's face amid a tussle over the ball, the incident led to Rapp also receiving a technical; describing the moment, Rapp expressed to Spectrum Local News, "Honestly, it was just a dirty play by him," followed by an acknowledgment of the need to maintain composure.
Despite the rough game, UH co-captain Ryan Rapp maintained a positive outlook on the team's future performance stating, "Although it's a tough time right now, we got to stay positive. No matter what," according to a statement obtained by Spectrum Local News. The Rainbow Warriors will rest on a bye before their upcoming game against UC San Diego on the road on Saturday, February 22.
