The UCI Men’s Basketball team (13-6, 6-1) defeated the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Rainbow Warriors (14-5, 5-2), 76-68 at the Bren Events Center on Thursday, Jan. 19.
UCI was led by star scorers junior guard Dawson Baker and junior guard DJ Davis alongside a surprising performance from redshirt freshmen forward Akiva McBirney-Griffin. Davis saw much of his production come alive in the second half, posting an 18-point game. Not far behind, Baker put up his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The first half started slow-paced for both teams until Baker scored back-to-back points. Hawai’i’s inability to manage the ball resulted in numerous turnovers, allowing UCI to go on a 10-0 run.
By the 13-minute mark, the Anteaters established a dominant 12-2 lead over the Rainbow Warriors.
However, the momentum wouldn’t last. Throughout the rest of the half, the ‘Eaters were uncharacteristically dry from deep, going 1-9 from behind the arc despite shooting 38.7 percent on the season. These three-point shooting struggles led to a change in direction for UCI’s normally three-ball dominated offense. UCI exploited Hawai’i’s weak interior defense with 24 of the first half points from the paint.
Much of the inside scoring was attributed to McBirney-Griffin, who was shoved into the starting lineup due to injuries to sophomore center Bent Leuchten and junior forward Chazz Hutchison. Undeterred, McBirney-Griffin finished the game with a career-high 11 points on 4-7 shooting and a 3-4 night at the freethrow line.
The Rainbow Warriors struggled offensively in the first half, much of it due to UCI’s tenacious ball defense. The Rainbow Warriors were able to find some solace in senior guard/forward Samuta Avea, who knocked down two key three-pointers in the first half and kept Hawai’i in the game. Avea finished the night with nine points, all of which came from beyond the arc.
The first half concluded with UCI leading 35-27.
The Rainbow Warriors came into the second half with inspired play. From the last minute of the first half to the 17-minute mark of the second half, Hawai’i went on a 12-2 run, putting the score at 37-34. 6-foot-10 senior forward and Texas transfer Kamaka Hepa led the run, finishing the night as Hawai’i’s leading scorer while putting up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
The Rainbow Warriors’ main problem was Davis, who stopped their run with back-to-back buckets.
Davis exploded in the second half with 16 points despite only shooting 1-6 from deep. He made up for this lackluster three-point performance with unstoppable floaters and crafty finishing at the rim. Davis ended the contest with 18 points on 6-14 shooting from the floor while also going a perfect 5-5 at the line.
At three and a half minutes, the game became a free throw shootout for UCI. The Rainbow Warriors desperately tried to keep themselves within striking distance, but to no avail.
From then on, UCI was in control of the second half. Hawai’i was not able to cut the lead to single digits until only 30 seconds remained.
Alongside Davis, Baker finished the night strong with a double-double and viciously attacked the lane, putting up 17 points on 7-11 shooting and 10 rebounds. On the other side, junior guard JoVon McClanahan provided an impressive 14 points in the second half to keep Hawai’i in the game.
UCI won, 76-68, in a game that felt much more lopsided in their favor than the score would suggest. With the win, UCI improves to 6-1 in conference play and remains one game shy of first place in the Big West.
Jason Garcia Escobar is a Sports Staff Writer. He can be reached at jasonag3@uci.edu.
Zeke Bellino is a Sports Intern for the winter 2023 quarter. He can be reached at zbellino@uci.edu.
