Hawai’i shows life in Senior Night victory over UC Davis

HONOLULU – Needed it. Got it. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team answered the call on Saturday night in a big way, starting strong and sticking together for a critical Senior Night victory over UC Davis (15-14, 9-9 Big West) inside the Stan Sheriff Center, 78-70. Tanner Christensen led the way for the Rainbow Warriors with 16 points and nine rebounds as five different players finished in double figures for the hosts. 

Suddenly in a fight for their spot in the Big West Conference tournament, UH saw heroes from every angle against the Aggies. Tom Beattie turned in one of his best two-way performances of his career, scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds while drawing the assignment guarding UCD star guard TY Johnson for a large portion of the evening, helping hold the Big West’s leading scorer to a 10-of-26 shooting performance. 

Hawai’i (15-14, 7-11 Big West) finally started a game as the aggressor, leaping out to an early lead over the Aggies that they would protect all night with the help of Aaron Hunkin-Claytor’s all-around productions. The freshman guard flirted with a triple-double in his ninth start, posting eight points and career highs in rebounds and assists with seven boards and six dimes to go along with one blocked shot in 32 minutes of work. 

“He’s got a couple things that you can’t really teach and it’s why we gravitate towards him,” head coach Eran Ganot said of his starting freshman point guard. “His confidence, love for the game and instincts. Now he’s going through reps early in his career that will help him down the stretch this year and moving forward.” 

Gytis Nemeikša and Akira Jacobs each turned in quality performances off the bench as Nemo scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked a shot before fouling out late and Jacobs gave a look into his potential once again with 12 points (4-6 FG, 1-2 3PT) and three rebounds. Harry Rouhliadeff turned in his first double-digit scoring outing in over three weeks, knocking down a three on the way to a 10-point, 3-rebound night. 

Entering the evening on a 3-game slide, the Rainbow Warriors came out with a different intensity, speed and physicality from the opening tip. Hawai’i scored 14 of the first 19 points of the night, turning the ball over just once in a 7-plus-minute span to take early control of the contest. 

A few defensive lapses and turnovers for points by UH helped UC Davis come back and knot the game at 21 with 7:44 left to play in the first half, but Hawai’i quickly recovered following the under-8 media timeout to extend the lead up to 10 by the 2:30 mark after a quick 5-point run by Hunkin-Claytor and a few buckets in the paint by the Rainbow Warrior forwards. 

The Aggies closed the opening half well, holding Hawai’i without a point for the final couple minutes while creeping closer with a pair of baskets to head into the locker room with six points separating the sides, 35-29. Similar to UCD’s first run in the frame, Hawai’i miscues and missed shots hurt the hosts more than the visitors’ skills. 

The scoring drought extended into the first minute of the second half for Hawai’i as UC Davis put in the first two buckets out of halftime to make it a 2-point game, but Christensen ended the dry spell with a two-handed flush and got the Rainbow Warrior offense rolling again. Hunkin-Claytor’s third foul slowed the Hawai’i momentum for a few minutes, keeping the Aggies close as TY Johnson and Pablo Tamba powered the offense for the visitors. 

Hunkin-Claytor’s return helped Akira Jacobs re-find his first half powers as the pace picked up again for Hawai’i, seeing a pair of drives by Jacobs go down to restore a 5-point lead with under 12 minutes to play. Christensen’s second 3-pointer of the game gave UH an 8-point lead a few minutes later, sending the crowd into a frenzy as all cylinders clicked on one night for the hosts. 

“They made their punch, their move, and we responded each time,” Ganot said. “Really proud of our guys… everybody stepped up and we needed it.” 

Hawai’i held on to the double-digit lead into the final minute before some spotty foul shooting allowed UC Davis to put a small scare in fans late, pulling as close as 73-68 before the Rainbow Warriors slammed the door shut by going 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 22 seconds. 

TY Johnson finished with a game-best 26 points, putting up 26 shots to get it as the UH defense held the UC Davis team to under 40% shooting overall on the night. Pablo Tamba added 19 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies, who dropped to 9-9 in conference play with meetings left with Big West leaders UC Irvine and UC San Diego to close the regular season. 

Ryan Rapp, who got the loudest ovation during the postgame ceremonies after spending the past three seasons with the Rainbow Warriors, finished with four points and joked that he was able to keep his promise to his teammates to not cry on the emotionally charged night. He also saw a team that still had more to fight for with two games left in the regular season to work towards a Cinderella run. 

The 2024-25 Hawai’i men’s basketball program. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

“We’re playing to go to Vegas still,” Rapp said after the win. “Nothing is given in this league; you’ve got to earn it … Like I said, I still think we’ve got a story to tell. I think we can shock some people. It just comes down to belief in the locker room and within our teammates, so I’m excited.” 

Hawai’i hits the road to close out the regular season this week, taking on Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday in what could amount to a play-in game for a berth to the conference tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. HT on Thursday. The Rainbow Warriors currently sit 0.5 game ahead of the Roadrunners for the 7-seed in the Big West Tournament.