Hawai’i blasts East Texas A&M in home opener behind balanced scoring effort

HONOLULU – Back home, back in the win column.

Coming off a heartbreaking last-second loss at Oregon in Tuesday’s season opener, the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team returned to the friendly confines of Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday night and pummeled East Texas A&M (1-2) behind a dominant full team effort, 100-74.

Seven different Rainbow Warriors finished in double figures and 11 of 12 players that saw time scored as UH eclipsed the century mark in points for the first time since 2017 during a double overtime win at home against Long Beach State. Hawai’i’s historic showing from the charity stripe helped the 100-point effort as the team set new program records for free throws made (37) and attempted (54) in a single game.

Hunter Erickson, who saw extended time at the point guard spot with sophomore guard Aaron Hunkin-Claytor dealing with foul trouble from the opening minutes, finished tied with teammate Dre Bullock for the game-high with 15 points. The 6-foot-3 graduate student didn’t miss a shot all night, hitting on all five of his attempts from the floor (including 3-for-3 from behind the arc) while handing out three assists in 27 minutes of work.

Bullock did a little bit of everything in the win for the Rainbow Warriors, matching Erickson’s 15 points while adding seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in his first official game at home for Hawai’i. The explosive wing provided the highlight of the night with eight minutes left to play in the second half, splitting the defense for a powerful tomahawk jam that pushed UH’s lead to 33.

The game struggled to find a rhythm early on with 20 fouls called between the teams over the first 12 minutes of action, leading to an 18-16 lead for Hawai’i with 8:19 left before halftime despite the Rainbow Warriors going nearly nine minutes without a made field goal.

Erickson finally snapped the field goal drought for UH with 6:38 remaining in the first half, drilling a triple from the left wing to loosen up the offense for Hawai’i. Junior forward Ike Finlinson, who ended up with 12 points off the bench for UH, drained the first of his own two 3-pointers a minute later as the Rainbow Warriors quickly began to defrost.

Bullock got in on the fun with a 3-pointer of his own following the under-4-minute media timeout, sparking an 18-3 run to close the half and send Hawai’i into the locker room in full control, 51-30.

The second half continued the domination by the Rainbow Warriors, seeing the lead extended to 30 after an Isaiah Kerr steal and score as the clock ticked under 14 minutes to play. Bullock shut the house down a few minutes later with his highlight jam, welcoming in the bench units for the remainder of the night.

Isaac Johnson recorded the first double-double of the season for UH, tallying 13 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes of work. The 7-footer was a menace on the offensive glass, ripping down five offensive rebounds for the second straight game to begin his Rainbow Warrior career.

Senior forward Gytis Nemeikša came off the bench and added 14 points and four rebounds for Hawai’i while fellow senior Harry Rouhliadeff tacked on 12 points and four rebounds of his own in only 18 minutes of work. Junior guard Isaiah Kerr finished with 10 points, four rebounds and a steal after being held blank against Oregon.

Josh Taylor paced East Texas A&M, scoring 15 points and pulling down a pair of rebounds in the loss for the Lions. It was just the second-ever meeting between the two programs, leveling the series at a game apiece after the Lions upset the Rainbow Warriors in 2022 when the school was known as Texas A&M-Commerce.

Hawai’i (1-1) will return to action Wednesday, beginning the 59th annual OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic against Mississippi Valley State with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. HT. The longest-running preseason college basketball tournament in the country, the Rainbow Classic will conclude on Saturday with the annual Coaches Vs. Cancer mixer and a pair of basketball games for fans to enjoy.

More information about Hawai’i’s Coaches Vs. Cancer mixer can be found HERE.