Hawaii dominates UH-Hilo behind ball movement breakthrough

HONOLULU – Big win over the Big Island.

The third-largest margin of victory in UH program history, to be exact.

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team rolled to a 98-46 win on Wednesday night, dismantling the University of Hawai’i-Hilo (0-6) inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center behind the best shooting, passing and defensive displays of the year. Senior forward Harry Rouhliadeff paced the hosts, scoring 16 points, grabbing nine rebounds and handing out a career-best five assists.

“I’m just very pleased,” head coach Eran Ganot said following the game. “There was some stuff in the first half that we didn’t like as much but in the second half, it was a complete performance.”

From the opening moments, Hawai’i (9-2, 2-0 Big West) torched the zone defense of UH-Hilo (0-6) as the ball whipped around to set new high-water marks in made 3-pointers (13) and assists (25). Five players knocked down multiple threes for UH and six players finished in double figures while 11 of the 13 guys on the active roster ended up with points.

Dre Bullock enjoyed a short but productive night, scoring 12 points to go with four rebounds despite playing a season-low 14 minutes in the blowout. Hunter Erickson, Ike Finlinson and Gytis Nemeikša each chipped in 11 points and combined to hit seven of Hawai’i’s 13 made triples.

After last year’s heart-pounding preseason win on the Big Island saw the Rainbow Warriors turn the ball over 25 times against the Vulcans, UH put on a polar opposite performance on O’ahu with a season-low six turnovers. The defense continued to trend towards elite numbers, holding UH-Hilo to a season-low 48 points.

“It’s a mini-breakthrough and hopefully it leads to bigger breakthroughs,” Ganot said of the sweet shooting, high assist rate and low turnover numbers. “That is a step; If we want to get to where we want to be, we want to stay effective where we are being effective and then we’ve got to make those breakthroughs.”

The Rainbow Warriors raced out of the gates once again, draining five triples in the game’s opening eight minutes to snatch a 25-8 lead over the Vulcans before many fans had returned from pre-game concession stand trips. The long-distance onslaught continued throughout the first half for Hawai’i as they hit a total of nine 3-pointers over the opening 20 minutes to double up UH-Hilo heading into the break, 48-24.

The Vulcans shot 38% from the field in the first half, seeing UH’s suffocating defense smother any rhythm that the visitors tried to find on offense.

“Credit to them, they’ve got a really good team and they’re playing really well, too,” said UH-Hilo head coach Kaniela Aiona after the game. “Physically, we just struggled to match up with them from the beginning.”

The lead grew to 35 quickly after play resumed as Bullock drained Hawai’i’s 11th 3-pointer of the night, setting a new single-game high from distance for the Rainbow Warriors with 17:16 left in regulation.

The Vulcans finally hit their first 3-pointer of the game with 13:01 remaining when Jamal Entezami connected from distance. UH-Hilo was held to a season-worst 2-of-15 shooting performance from 3-point range.

Aaron Hunkin-Claytor got over double figures for the second time this season with 8:41 to play after finishing an and-one to push the Hawai’i lead to 40. The sophomore guard scored 11 points and handed out five assists while finishing as a plus-47 in 23 minutes of work in the win.

Hawai’i’s reserves closed out the crushing of the Vulcans, led by walk-on guard AJ Economou over the final 10 minutes of the 98-46 victory. The sophomore finished the night with seven points, three rebounds, three steals and a block in his first true extended run as a Rainbow Warrior, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch – much to the delight of his teammates watching from the bench.

“Those are my guys,” Economou said when asked about his teammates and the reaction from the bench. “It’s like we have a different bond. So, I think when I got in and hit some shots, they’re definitely going to be fired up, for sure.”

The California native didn’t score a point in 11 appearances last season, playing sparingly in games well out of reach in either direction for the Rainbow Warriors. He recorded his first career college basket on November 9 against East Texas A&M and has now points in five of the seven games he’s seen action in this year.

“Oh, it’s great,” Ganot smiled when asked about Economou. “Off the charts attitude, incredible young man … You can see how he’s gotten bigger and stronger and improved. ”

Economou acknowledged being able to find a rhythm with an extended period of playing time on Wednesday, crediting a mindset of always staying ready for helping him get through the trials of being a reserve on a talented team.

“It’s hard, it’s discouraging at times,” the walk-on guard said when asked about waiting his turn while not seeing much time behind talented veterans. “Keeping your head in it is the most important thing for me … I don’t like to give up so I think, you know, my chance and my time will come.”

Hawai’i closes out the non-conference slate on Saturday, hosting former WAC and future Mountain West foe UTEP inside Bankoh Arena at 7:00 p.m. HT for the team’s final game of the 2025 calendar year.