The Hawaii men’s basketball team dominated UC Riverside with an 88-45 road win, setting a program record, according to reports. Despite an 18-day holiday break, the Rainbow Warriors returned to the court with strong momentum, securing their seventh consecutive victory. “I’m a historian, but I didn’t know that,” Hawaii coach Eran Ganot said in a postgame interview with Spectrum News, referring to the team’s largest margin of victory in a road or conference game in program history.
The Rainbow Warriors took control early, jumping to a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes. Center Isaac Johnson led Hawaii with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting and six rebounds. UC Riverside struggled to keep pace, with guard Marqui Worthy Jr. scoring 14 points, according to UC Riverside Athletics. The Highlanders, coached by Gus Argenal, shot just 32% and were outrebounded 46-24.
Following the win, Hawaii will face UC San Diego, the defending Big West Conference champion, in their next game. The matchup is expected to be challenging, as UC San Diego was recently upset by Cal Poly.
Hawaii also saw the departure of backup forward Jalen Myers, who, according to coach Eran Ganot, left the team to focus on his academic goals. “He will continue to be enrolled at the university while focusing on his academic goals. We wish him the best moving forward,” the UH statement said before the game against UC Riverside, as reported by Spectrum News. Captain Harry Rouhliadeff returned after an injury scare, while backup center Yacine Toumi is listed as “day-to-day” with an ankle issue, leaving Hawaii with 12 players on the roster and 11 available for upcoming games.
As Hawaii prepares to move to the Mountain West next season, the game marked their final scheduled visit to SRC Arena. UC Riverside is focusing on its next matchup, a road game against Cal State Bakersfield. The Big West season continues as teams compete for conference standings and postseason positioning.
