Hawai’i popped early, often in wire-to-wire loss to UC Irvine

HONOLULU – Tipsy-turvy turnover team. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team struggled with giveaways early and shot a season-low 29.1% from the field on Saturday night, watching Big West co-leader UC Irvine (22-4, 12-2 Big West) control from start to finish in a 66-49 loss inside the Stan Sheriff Center. Bent Leuchten dominated on both ends for the Anteaters, posting a game-high 21 points on an uber-efficient 7-of-8 shooting performance to go along with seven rebounds and four blocks. 

“He made a point to set the tone,” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said of the UCI center after the game. “Give him credit. He deserves to be in the conversation for [Big West Player of the Year] on a team that’s at the top … Rewards go to the aggressor, and he was aggressive. He made it very clear in the paint that he was going to be strong in the paint.”

The Rainbow Warriors committed 14 turnovers and made 16 total field goals throughout the entirety of the action, committing nine of those giveaways in the game’s opening 10 minutes as the Anteaters jumped in front and never looked back. Four players finished in double figures for Hawai’i, seeing Tanner Christensen lead the way with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting. 

Gytis Nemeikša, Ryan Rapp and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor each added 10 points for the Rainbow Warriors, each helping spark runs for UH to pull closer in the second half before ultimately succumbing to the constant pressure of the UCI efficiency. Without the services of Kody Williams, who suffered an injury in the first half of Hawai’i’s win over LBSU on Thursday, Hunkin-Claytor saw a career-high 32 minutes at the point. 

Hawai’i (14-12, 6-9 Big West) turned the ball over on the first three possessions of the game, leading directly to six points for UCI to open the contest. The turnovers continued to plague the Rainbow Warriors and power the Anteaters, seeing nine giveaways create a 19-8 deficit for UH after 10 minutes of action. 

Consecutive buckets from Nemeikša and Hunkin-Claytor snapped an extended scoring drought for Hawai’i, bringing the hosts within seven momentarily before UCI threw another jab to keep the Rainbow Warriors down by double figures heading into halftime, 35-22. Hawai’i shot 9-of-28 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, missing on multiple good looks close as the interior defense of UCI showed off its effects. 

Christensen tried to help spark Hawai’i in the second half, draining a 3-pointer for the third straight game and fourth time this season in the opening minutes after the break to start an 11-4 run for the Rainbow Warriors that eventually pulled them within 10 with 12:38 left to play. Again, UC Irvine absorbed the blow to the lead and checked back with the next seven points to quiet the Hawai’i crowd again. 

As the Hawai’i offense found some semblance of success midway through the second half, the Anteaters turned to the posts once again as Leuchten drubbed his UH counterparts over and over while keeping the margin above 15 for the visitors. One final push from Hawai’i brought the Rainbow Warriors as close as 11 with four minutes to play, but an extended stoppage after a scrum between UH’s Ryan Rapp and UCI’s Myles Che halted the momentum for the hosts. 

Che and Rapp got tied up for a loose ball before Rapp seemingly lost his cool after getting up, leading to the senior receiving a technical foul and the officials to go to the monitor for further review of the play. After replay showed that Che had swung a backhanded closed fist to the jaw of Rapp, the UCI guard was promptly ejected and play resumed. 

“Honestly, it was just a dirty play by him,” Rapp said when asked about the scuffle with Che. “I get in a game that there’s going to be mixed emotions – especially when it’s a dog fight, and it’s always a dog fight with Irvine – but I thought it was a dirty play, but I also have got to keep my composure in that situation so that he gets thrown out and I don’t get a technical.” 

With a five-minute delay in the rearview mirror, Hawai’i’s offense once again fell apart against the airtight Anteater defense as they failed to score until Nemeikša put in an inconsequential layup with one second left with the game already decided, 66-49. 

Hawai’i will look to re-group with a bye on Thursday before hitting the road to take on the other leader in the Big West clubhouse, UC San Diego, on February 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. HT and can be seen on ESPN+ with a subscription.