New starting lineup debuts in Hawai’i loss to UC San Diego

HONOLULU – Make it three. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team dropped its third consecutive game on Thursday night, falling for the first time in six all-time meetings at home against UC San Diego, 74-63. Turnovers and a cold-shooting second half were among the key factors that contributed to the loss for the Rainbow Warriors, who led by as many as 13 in the opening half before eventually falling to the Tritons. 

Tyler McGhie led all scorers with 24 points for UCSD, scoring 15 after halftime to help the visitors race ahead and not look back as the Tritons resecured their spot in second place in the Big West. Four players in total finished with double-digit points for UC San Diego (18-4, 8-2 Big West), seeing Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones chip in 16 points while Hayden Gray added 13 points despite dealing with foul troubles throughout the game. Nordin Kapic was the other Triton in double figures, totaling 11 points and four rebounds in 24 minutes of action. 

After a brutal road trip that included a pair of soul-crushing losses, the Rainbow Warriors (12-9, 4-6 Big West) made another change to the starting lineup, moving junior Kody Williams to the bench along with Gytis Nemeikša and Ryan Rapp in favor of freshman guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, sophomore forward Akira Jacobs and junior forward Harry Rouhliadeff. It marked the first start of the former three-star guard’s college career while Williams came off the bench for the first time this season and thrived with 11 first-half points.

Jacobs and Rapp each added 11 points in the loss for Hawai’i, who shot a scorching hot 7-of-9 from 3-point range as a team in the first half before making only 3-of-13 tries from distance after halftime. It was Jacobs’ second straight game with 10 or more points, seeing the 6-foot-10 forward make his first start since November 26 when the Rainbow Warriors hosted Hawai’i Pacific and fifth overall this season. 

The Tritons, who entered the night ranked in the top 60 nationally in both the NET and KenPom rankings, raced out of the starting blocks with four makes over their first six shot attempts to jump out to a 9-5 lead by the first media timeout. In his first time coming off the bench since late in 2024, Kody Williams quickly lit a fire for Hawai’i after getting fouled behind the arc, knocking down all three free throws to spark an 8-0 run for the Rainbow Warriors that put them up by four with 12:38 left in the opening half. 

Mimicking the conditions outdoors, Hawai’i began to make it rain as Rapp, Williams, and Jacobs took turns drilling 3-pointers to expand the UH lead to 13 with 5:56 remaining until halftime. Mustering just seven points over the same time frame after taking an early lead, UC San Diego recovered to close the half as they responded with a 17-5 run to enter the break trailing the Rainbow Warriors by just one. 

Hawai’i looked to throw the next punch, starting the second half on a 13-5 run behind the creative playmaking of Aaron Hunkin-Claytor – who continued to show off an impressive rapport with Akira Jacobs with a pair of nice feeds that led to points for the lanky forward. The freshman guard did a little bit of everything to begin the final frame, dishing out two of his team-high four assists, grabbing a defensive rebound and drilling a left-wing 3-pointer as the Rainbow Warriors locked down the potent Tritons’ offense. 

The good vibes for Hawai’i quickly flipped after Tanner Christensen committed a flagrant foul with 12:57 left in regulation and Hunkin-Claytor went to the bench. Tyler McGhie knocked down the two free throws from the flagrant, kicking off a 22-3 avalanche from the Tritons to take a 10-point lead with 8:43 left to play. 

Hunkin-Claytor returned after a UH timeout, helping get the wheels rolling again on offense as the Rainbow Warriors traded baskets with the Tritons. The freshman guard and Akira Jacobs combined to make one final push for Hawai’i, pulling the team within six with just under four minutes to play with some nifty passing and smart off-ball movement. 

The comeback effort came too little and too late for Hawai’i though, as Tait-Jones and McGhie sealed the victory for the visitors from the charity stripe to leave the islands still just one game out of the top spot in the Big West. 

Harry Rouhliadeff scored seven points and snagged four rebounds in his first start since UH visited Grand Canyon back at the start of December. Tanner Christensen and Tom Beattie each chipped in six points while Aaron Hunkin-Claytor recorded four points, three rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in his first collegiate start. 

The Rainbow Warriors struggled with turnovers once again, coughing it up 17 times for 24 points for the Tritons while shooting just 38% from the floor in the second half. Forward Gytis Nemeikša was held scoreless for the first time this season, playing three minutes after halftime and nine minutes total for his shortest appearance of the year. 

Hawai’i will look to snap its three-game losing streak on Saturday when Cal State Fullerton visits the islands for a 7 p.m. (HT) tip-off. The Rainbow Warriors defeated the Titans, 95-86, back on January 11 in Fullerton as part of a three-game winning streak at the start of the new year.