Turnovers torpedo Hawai’i in conference-opening loss at Long Beach State

Make it 0-for-2. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team closed out the first road trip of the year on Saturday with empty hands, falling to Long Beach State (3-8, 2-0 Big West) inside the Walter Pyramid, 76-68. LBSU guard Devin Askew led all scorers, pouring in a career-high 28 points while drilling 4-of-5 of his attempts from behind the arc as the Beach won its second consecutive game after losing eight of the first nine. 

The Rainbow Warriors struggled with turning the ball over for the second straight contest, giving the ball away 17 times and seeing the Beach score 27 points off the miscues. Marcus Greene and Gytis Nemeikša, who had 17 and 14 points respectively to lead UH in the loss, were inserted into the starting lineup as Eran Ganot used his fourth different combination of players to open a game this year. 

Both teams started out hot, seeing Hawai’i lead by a point at the first media timeout behind four early points from Greene. A quick two whistles against the UH scoring guard sent him to the bench with more than 15 minutes remaining in the opening half, colling off the Hawai’i offense and allowing LBSU to rattle off an 8-2 run on the way to a 15-11 lead with just over 11 minutes left before the break. 

Nemeikša’s first make came from long range a minute later, sparking an 11-0 run for Hawai’i as Akira Jacobs scored eight straight points (2-2 3PT) to put the Rainbow Warriors in front, 22-15. After seeing the Beach pull back within two, UH was able to regain a seven-point cushion with a putback dunk from Tanner Christensen and Jacobs’ third 3-pointer of the half. 

A 17-5 run by Long Beach State to end the half ensued, seeing Askew put the exclamation point at the end of the period with a tough, rainbow-arching 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of the Hawai’i defense to take a 37-32 lead into the midway break. The Rainbow Warriors turned the ball over nine times in the first 20 minutes and failed to capitalize on a 5-1 advantage on the offensive boards with only two 2nd chance points in the half. 

Greene and Nemeikša scored nine of the Rainbow Warriors’ first 11 points out of the break, pulling UH within four with 13 minutes left in regulation but a pair of buckets from Askew that sandwiched a TJ Wainwright 3-pointer pushed the Beach’s lead to double digits for the first time all game. The two teams would trade baskets over the next six-plus minutes of game time before Askew pushed the game out of reach with back-to-back triples, giving LBSU a 69-54 lead with 4:28 left to play. 

Freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor checked in a timeout, sparking one last push from Hawai’i as he and Nemeikša worked a two-man game for a quick 5-0 run. Greene cashed in on a three with 1:36 to play to pull the Rainbow Warriors within seven, but that was the closest that it would come as Askew drilled a triple on the very next possession and LBSU knocked down free throws to close out a 76-68 win. 

Austin Johnson and TJ Wainwright each added 14 points in the win for the Beach, who moved to a perfect 2-0 during the new “Bold Week” implemented by the Big West to start the conference madness a little earlier than previous seasons. LBSU shot the ball well all afternoon, hitting 50% from the field and knocking down 10-of-13 attempts from behind the arc in the win. 

Akira Jacobs finished with 11 points on three 3-pointers, all coming in the first half, and Tanner Christensen recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Hawai’i outrebounded Long Beach State, 32-23, but only mustered nine 2nd chance points from 10 offensive boards. 

Freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor chipped in four points and four assists in 15 minutes off the bench, tied for the most helpers in a single game by any Rainbow Warrior this year. 

Hawai’i returns to the islands to play host Texas A&M Corpus Christi next Saturday; part of a spaced-out December schedule that sees the Rainbow Warriors play only three games in 21 days before playing three in four days to close out the month in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.