The UCI Men’s Basketball team (9-5, 5-1) fell to the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Rainbow Warriors (5-5, 3-5) in overtime, 62-61, in the second game of their Big West series in Manoa, Hawaii on Jan. 30.
This loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Anteaters and was their first defeat in a conference play.
The Anteaters started out slow on offense, which allowed Hawaii to pull ahead early on with an eight-point 21-13 lead. UCI regrouped and came screaming back thanks to a successful string of offensive possessions to pull within three points of UH’s 23-20 lead with eight minutes remaining in the half.
Redshirt junior forward Collin Welp and redshirt senior center Brad Greene carried the offense for much of the first half. The Anteaters dominated with plays down low and in post-ups. Specifically, Welp had a great up-and-over basket to put UCI within two points, 24-26, with less than two minutes left in the half.
UCI head coach Russell Turner went with a three-guard style lineup to close the first half with sophomore guard Isaiah Lee, freshman guard Dawson Baker and sophomore guard Jeron Artest. After a short injury delay, Welp hit a spinning fade from the right baseline to tie the game, 26-26.
The Rainbow Warriors set up a post-play on their final possession of the half. Hawaii hit a cutting guard on the right baseline which was promptly swarmed by Welp and Greene who blocked the shot. The game stayed tied at the half at 26-26 as the Anteaters learned Hawaii’s offensive strategy towards the end of the first half.
The second half started off with three straight baskets for the Anteaters to take control of the game. New energy and control were displayed by UCI as they became comfortable with every possession. Freshman guard Andre Henry drove to the hoop with a beautiful attack to put the ‘Eaters up by seven. His quick burst really was an effective boost and helped the team in moments of offensive stagnation.
Unlike Hawaii, the Anteaters’ defense was very sound in the second half. Greene’s presence down low made it difficult for the Rainbow Warriors to secure any easy points. With that, the pace of the game in the second half diminished as team fouls began adding up.
Turner went twelve players deep in his roster tonight, which provided UCI with rejuvenated energy that came with every player entering the game. This new found energy stunned Hawaii into a five-minute scoring drought in the second half.
Greene was at the center of the Anteaters’ success. Along with his early double-double second half, he frequently finished in close and kept Hawaii away from easy baskets.
As the Anteaters looked to cruise to another victory against the Rainbow Warriors, the opposition began to ramp up the pressure defensively to keep UCI out of rhythm. The Rainbow Warriors strategy worked as the Anteater lead was cut to six. However, Davis, Artest and Henry had tight handles and kept control for UCI by preventing Hawaii from getting free steals or turnovers. However, the Rainbow Warriors managed a turnover on Lee which was a catalyst to their comeback.
It was clear that Hawaii was hungry for the win as turnovers started to close the deficit. The Anteaters began to fall to Hawaii’s pressure and UCI’s offense became completely out of rhythm, allowing sophomore guard Justin Webster to make two free throws for Hawaii to make it a four-point game.
The Anteaters turned it over, giving Hawaii another chance with 50.2 seconds remaining. Hawaii finished in close to the hoop to bring themselves within two, 57-55. The Anteaters broke a full-court press before turning it over again. Hawaii called a timeout with 11.4 seconds remaining — and more importantly — a chance to win it.
Lee was defending on-ball against sophomore guard JoVon McClanahan and an off-ball foul on a moving screen gave UCI the late possession. Hawaii’s junior guard Junior Madut managed to poke the ball loose in a close call. He swished both free throws to send the game to overtime, 57-57, as Welp couldn’t hit a spinning mid-range shot to win it.
Dawson Baker started the Anteaters off with a nice jumper, but Hawaii’s Madut answered with an incredible three-pointer. As Hemsley fouled out for the Rainbow Warriors, the Anteaters dealt with a double team on Welp that forced a miss. UCI’s defense kept Hawaii from breaking away, but Madut came up with a huge steal on Baker, which shifted the momentum.
The Rainbow Warriors turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions but UCI could not capitalize with another missed Baker jumper. During Hawaii’s final possession, Madut drove to the hoop, but he turned it over and Henry ran the ball down the court. Henry was chased and missed the layup, but Welp had a putback that just rolled out from winning the game. The Rainbow Warriors took the game with a 62-61 final score.
It was a heartbreaker for the Anteaters who outplayed Hawaii for the majority of the night. Hawaii’s intense defensive strategy is what kept them in striking range for stretches without scoring. The full-court press shifted the game until its conclusion.
Madut was the player of the night for the Rainbow Warriors with his shotmaking, defensive instincts and clutch free throw shooting. He drove the game home for Hawaii, snapping the Anteaters’ seven-game winning streak.
The ending stretch was emotional for Rainbow Warriors Head coach Eran Ganot, who teared up in his postgame interview. On the other hand, Coach Turner was upset with how his team closed the game.
“We didn’t finish the game well at the end,” Turner said. “We showed a lack of toughness and I am really disappointed in that. I am hopeful that this will be a lesson that will make us better and stay together as a team. I give Hawaii a lot of credit.”
Tonight’s loss is a tough pill to swallow for the Anteaters who simply couldn’t keep up their impressive 35 minutes of tough play for the duration of the game. UCI struggled to keep the momentum away from Hawaii in overtime, which resulted in losing this conference game by only one point.
Of course, the loss will make the Big West seeding a bit tighter as UCI heads towards their most important stretch. However, the Anteaters will gear up again on Feb 5 and 6 for two back-to-back home games against CSU Bakersfield.
Matthew Zeko is a Sports Intern for the 2021 Winter Quarter. He can be reached at mzeko@uci.edu.
