In a gritty exhibition game that felt more like a mid-season clash, the University of Hawaii men's basketball team managed to eke out a 93-87 win over Chaminade at the Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. "Bows, pulled off the win over its intrastate rival with a strong finish," as reported by Hawaii Athletics, noting the full-throttle nature of the matchup which featured a second-half lead change that had Chaminade ahead.
Dre Bullock led the charge for Hawaii with a game-high of 23 points and eight rebounds, which KHON2 also highlighted, signaling his standout performance. Chaminade's Kent King, alongside Nathan Medina, contributed significantly to their side, matching Bullock's 23 points and adding an impressive nine rebounds. Harry Rouhliadeff also chipped in for the 'Bows with 17 points and eight boards. Evidently struggling with Chaminade's press, Hawaii turned the ball over 22 times and had a lackluster free throw showing, hitting only 24 out of 38 attempts.
Despite leading for the majority of the game, Hawaii found themselves unable to shake off the tenacious Silverswords, who managed to tie the game early in the second half on a Nate Sasser three-pointer. According to Hawaii Athletics, UH responded with an 11-2 run, only to watch Chaminade claw back into a seven-point lead.
In the closing minutes, Hunter Erickson emerged as an unexpected hero for Hawaii. Playing the role of a catalyst, he punctuated a critical run with a three-pointer that gave UH an 81-75 edge, a lead which they held onto till the end. Having gone scoreless for most of the game, Erickson summed up his late-game heroics with 10 points in a gutsy three-minute stretch. The Rainbow Warriors, hoping to carry this momentum, turn their sights to the regular-season opener against Oregon on November 3, as stated by Hawaii Athletics, setting up what fans hope will be a promising start to the season.
