First half burst helps Hawai’i race past Mississippi Valley State

First half burst helps Hawai’i race past Mississippi Valley State

Nov 12, 2025

Hawaii G Aaron Hunkin-Claytor flexes to celebrate with a teammate during a home game. The sophomore had a career-high 11 assists in UH’s win on Wednesday night. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

First half burst helps Hawai’i race past Mississippi Valley State

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 12, 2025

HONOLULU – Solid start for the defending champs.

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team turned in another high-powered scoring effort on Wednesday night, moving past Mississippi Valley State University (1-3) with an 88-56 victory to kick off the 2025 OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

“Pleased with the win, thankful for our fans, honored and excited to be part of the Rainbow [Classic],” head coach Eran Ganot said to open his postgame presser. “Some good things today, for sure. Some things that were very sloppy, which was disappointing.”

Looking to win consecutive Rainbow Classic titles for the first time in more than two decades, UH dominated the Delta Devils to open the tournament behind senior forward Harry Rouhliadeff’s career-high 22 points. The captain from Australia finished as one of two Rainbow Warriors with a plus-minus of 30 or above, along with fellow returner Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, who was a game-best plus-34.

“There’s a reason he’s a captain,” Ganot said when asked of his senior forward’s performance. “While I say we were sloppy, he was not. He was consistent throughout and I wish we had others follow suit. Aaron probably was the next one [in consistency], and those are two guys who’ve been in our program.”

Hunkin-Claytor looked like he slowly started to find his form as the floor general tallied a career-high 11 assists in the win. The sophomore chipped in two points but went 0-for-4 from the field as he continued to work back into a shooting flow after missing a month due to a preseason hand injury.

“Him and Gytis are still finding their rhythm, that’s a long time to miss,” Ganot continued. “I’m just really happy that they’re out there.”

Hunter Erickson turned in his second consecutive efficient scoring outburst, matching his Division I career high with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting while knocking down four 3-pointers in 28 minutes of action. The 6-foot-3 guard also snatched up six rebounds and dished out a pair of assists in the win.

“It definitely provides a spark for us,” Rouhliadeff said of Erickson’s shooting. “I’m sure you’ve seen when he starts to go on, we start to go on a run.”

Erickson helped the Hawai’i offense awaken after the under-eight-minute media timeout and powered an extended 28-5 run to close out the first half as the Rainbow Warriors again showed microwavable offense potential.

“I love it, he gives me assists so it’s really nice,” a chuckling Hunkin-Claytor added about the graduate guard’s scoring ability. “And when he shoots the ball, it gets everyone to converge to him and gets everyone else open.”

Yacine Toumi was the third and final Rainbow Warrior to finish in double figures, adding 11 points and going 5-for-5 from the floor in 14 minutes of work.

Hawai’i raced out to a 12-3 lead after five minutes of play, seeing Dre Bullock rip off the first five points of the night. The senior guard finished with nine points and six rebounds in 23 minutes of action for the Rainbow Warriors.

“We talk about it a lot,” Hunkin-Claytor said of UH’s third straight strong start. “We want to hit first this year and be the first team to throw the punch, so being consistent in that and being able to play off each other early and get rhythm going, we know that we’re going to be in good shape for the rest of the game.”

Guard Michael James helped the Delta Devils punch back, pulling within three as the clock ticked under eight minutes left in the opening half, but that was the closest the visitors would get for the remainder of the night as Hawai’i stepped on the gas behind sweet long-range shooting.

Erickson and Rouhliadeff took turns hitting from behind the arc after the under-eight media timeout, carrying a 16-2 run over the next four minutes. The Rainbow Warriors extended the scoring outburst with six total 3-pointers over the final eight minutes, taking a 26-point cushion into the halftime break.

The second half saw Hawai’i remain in control despite some sloppy play as Ganot dipped deeper into the bench, giving freshman Hunter Carter and sophomore AJ Economou run for the second consecutive game. Birthday boy Jalen Myers also checked in following halftime and totaled four points and a rebound in eight minutes of action in the blowout win.

“We’ve been finishing halves pretty well and starting second halves well,” Ganot reflected after the victory. “I thought the middle of the first half and most of the second half, we were pretty sloppy.”

The 11th-year head coach continued to emphasize the need for his team to find consistency for 40 minutes, adding that “hope gets you beat, habits put you in position to have success” and that habits take longer to build than to break.

MVSU was led by Michael James, who was held to 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting. The 6-foot-1 guard entered the night among the top 20 scorers in the nation, averaging 24.7 points per night through three games before seeing the Rainbow Warriors defense.

Hawai’i (2-1) returns to action for the second day of the 59th annual Rainbow Classic on Friday, tipping off at 7 p.m. against Manhattan (2-1) after MVSU faces off against Utah Tech (2-3) earlier Friday evening. The Jaspers took down the Trailblazers, 79-75, on Wednesday in the other matchup to begin the tournament.

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

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

Nov 9, 2025

Hawai’i Men’s Basketball guard Dre Bullock finishes at the rim in the second half. | Photo: Michael Lasquero

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

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 9, 2025

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.

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Harris’ hat trick helps power Hawai’i statement against San Diego State

Harris’ hat trick helps power Hawai’i statement against San Diego State

Nov 8, 2025

Hawaii WR Jackson Harris awaits a call in the end zone during the Rainbow Warriors’ 38-6 rout of San Diego State. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Harris’ hat trick helps power Hawai’i statement against San Diego State

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 8, 2025

HONOLULU – A rainy night that was filled with Rainbows.

The University of Hawai’i football team brought the heat on chilly evening in the islands on Saturday, handing San Diego State (7-2, 4-1 Mountain West) its first conference loss of the season behind a complete team effort, 38-6.

Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado diced up the Aztecs’ league-leading defense to the tune of 256 yards and three touchdowns, completing 22-of-34 passes as the Rainbow Warriors (7-3, 4-2 Mountain West) clinched a winning season for the first time under fourth-year head coach Timmy Chang.

Sophomore WR Jackson Harris posted his fifth consecutive 100+ yard receiving game with a team-high seven catches, 130 yards and three touchdowns for Hawai’i. The 6-foot-3 pass catcher became the first UH receiver to surpass the century mark in five or more straight games since Greg Salas had six in a row with 100+ in 2010 and the first WR since John Ursua in 2018 to have three consecutive games with multiple scores.

Coming off the unit’s worst showing of the season, the Hawai’i defense dominated on all fronts as the group forced a season-high four turnovers while holding an FBS opponent without a touchdown for the first time this year.

(It was the second time UH held an opponent completely out of the end zone this season, previously keeping FCS opponent Portland State to only three points.)

While the defense came out firing in the opening quarter for the Rainbow Warriors, the offense needed a little extra time to get going as Alejado tossed his seventh interception of the year on UH’s first drive. Alejado and the hosts quickly capitalized on a second chance after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Aztecs extended Hawai’i’s second possession, leading the freshman signal caller to drop a dime to Harris for the first touchdown of the night to go up 7-3 with 6:37 left in the first frame.

After the score, the Hawai’i defense again forced a three-and-out as Jackie Johnson III recorded his conference-leading seventh sack of the year, setting up the second of Alejado-to-Jackson touchdown connections on the next drive to go up 14-3 after 15 minutes of action.

San Diego State QB Jayden Denegal found WR Donavan Brown on the next drive for a 45-yard gain to set up the Aztecs for another field goal, but the Rainbow Warriors responded two minutes later with Harris’ third score of the night as he burned the defense again for a 35-yard TD.

The dream evening added a piece of history right before the half as senior Kansei Matsuzawa broke Richard Spelman’s 41-year-old UH single-season made field goals record with his 22nd made kick of the year, connecting on a 22-yarder with 4:23 left to extend the lead to 24-6.

Hawai’i wasted little time adding onto the lead once play resumed in the second half as RB Cam Barfield made an 86-yard house call on the opening kickoff in the third quarter, putting the Rainbow Warriors up 31-6 before fans had returned to their seats from the midway bathroom break.

Elijah Palmer added the final score of the night for UH to wrap up the third frame, perfectly baiting Denegal for a 53-yard interception returned for a touchdown as the Hawai’i defense and special teams units each recorded a touchdown in the same game for the first time since November 24, 2012.

UH’s defense held Denegal to just 10-of-27 passing for 132 yards and two interceptions while limiting SDSU RB Lucky Sutton to 78 yards on 18 carries, completely keeping the junior out of the end zone for just the third game this year. The six points allowed by Hawai’i was the lowest total in a meeting against the Aztecs since 1980, helping snap a five-game losing streak against SDSU.

RB Cam Barfield posted career highs for both rushing attempts (11) and rushing yards (69) while fellow back Landon Sims added 10 carries for 48 yards on the ground for the Rainbow Warriors. Facing the first true rain game of the season, Hawai’i leaned into the ground attack with a season-high 35 rushing attempts, eclipsing 100+ rushing yards as a team for the third time in the last four contests.

Hawai’i’s defensive line continued wreaking havoc on opponents, totaling three more sacks and seven of the team’s eight QB hits throughout the night. UH’s overall defensive unit held the Aztecs to a putrid 2-of-14 on third downs and 0-of-2 on fourth downs. UH led the Mountain West in sacks entering the weekend.

The San Diego State defense, which entered the night ranked No. 2 nationally for points per game allowed (10.0) and was without starting LB Tano Letuli and CB Chris Johnson, struggled playing man coverage against the Rainbow Warriors before recovering slightly in the second half.

Hawai’i enters its third and final bye week of the season, sitting in third place in the Mountain West and a half-game behind SDSU and Boise State for the top spots in the conference. UH returns to action on November 21, visiting UNLV for a rare Friday night game at 5:30 p.m. HT.

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Hawai’i gets chance to throw wild Mountain West standings into chaos

Hawai’i gets chance to throw wild Mountain West standings into chaos

Nov 7, 2025

The Hawai’i defense celebrates together after forcing a turnover and scoring at home. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Hawai’i gets chance to throw wild Mountain West standings into chaos

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 7, 2025

HONOLULU – Fret not, one who worries.

Even after last Saturday’s brutal 45-38 loss at San Jose State, the dream season is not over.

Yes, even after giving up over 600 yards of total offense to the Spartans, you can believe still in the Rainbow Warrior defense. It’s the same unit that leads the entire Mountain West Conference in quarterback sacks for league play (12 in five games) and overall (22 in eight games).

That doesn’t even get into the fact that UH’s offense has clicked back in time nine years, becoming the first Rainbow Warrior team since 2016 to post 30+ points in four straight games. Redshirt freshman QB Micah Alejado is averaging more than 300 yards passing and has thrown three or more TD passes in each of those outings while the offense as a whole has been going for half-a-grand each weekend for the past month.

Heck, not even the University of Hawai’i’s hopes at a bid into the Mountain West Championship game have gone fishing yet. Needing one of the league’s top two spots to participate in the title game, the Rainbow Warriors sit in a tie for third place with four weeks left.

Why should your hopes at the ‘Bows flirting with the summit of the Mountain West in the final year as we know the conference as it is be gone if they’re still fighting and kicking?

Hawai’i (6-3, 3-2 Mountain West) welcomes in San Diego State (7-1, 4-0 Mountain West) on Saturday, hoping to wash away the taste of an uncharacteristic performance on the road with an upset in the islands of the top team in the conference through 10 weeks of action.

“Great attention to detail and discipline,” said head coach Timmy Chang when asked about the first practice back after last week’s loss. “We’re going to need it with a really good opponent, San Diego State, coming in this week. One-loss team, very excited for a sold-out crowd and our guys, they feel the last one, and we quickly had to move on so we can get ready and get up for this one.”

Hawaii QB Micah Alejado scans the field during a home game for the Rainbow Warriors. | Photo credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

The Aztecs, who have taken five straight meetings against UH, come in as the hottest team in the conference with a six-game win streak. Led by the best defense in the Mountain West and a balanced offensive attack of junior QB Jayden Denegal and junior RB Lucky Sutton, SDSU hasn’t lost in two months.

Sutton has torched defenses all season but kicked it up another level in competition against Mountain West rivals. Over four conference games, the 6-foot-1, 225-lb running back has broken the century mark three times and found the end zone at least once in every contest. Last weekend against Wyoming, he set a new career high with 158 rushing yards as he helped the Aztecs get off to the third 4-0 start to conference play in program history.

It’s not hard to see why he’s already eclipsed 800 rushing yards in only eight games when the bruising back has punished defenses to the tune of more than five yards per carry this season. Sutton also has eight touchdowns, finding the end zone in all but two games – the Aztecs’ lone loss against Washington State and an ugly 6-3 victory against future Mountain West member Northern Illinois.

Denegal, who showed up on Wednesday’s availability report as questionable for the game against UH, won’t blow you away with his numbers this season (63.3% comp, 176.9 pass ypg, 8 TD-5 INT) but helps fit together the Aztec offense with a dose of deep shots each night.

The SDSU defense is the meal ticket, though.

Coming off a win versus Wyoming in which they forced four turnovers for the first time in more than two years, SDSU’s conference-best scoring defense (10.25 points per game allowed) will take on the biggest test of the year so far in UH’s offense that ranks second in Mountain West play with 35.6 points per game.

The Aztecs’ defense has turned it up another gear over the team’s six-game winning streak, holding opponents to 7.3 points per game over the half-dozen outings. In the 32 total quarters SDSU has played, opponents have scored in just nine of them.

If Hawai’i can revert back to form defensively from before the San Jose State game and keep the offense clicking to put up points in at least three quarters, an upset of the Aztecs is on the table – something that would throw the Mountain West standings into chaos with three weeks remaining.

Should the Rainbow Warriors run the table and finish the season at 9-3 overall and 6-2 in the conference, the door could be open for a seat in the Mountain West Championship.

Winning out would provide Hawai’i with the head-to-head tiebreaker over San Diego State, UNLV and Utah State, who all have two or less losses in conference play heading into Week 11.

San Jose State and Fresno State each have a pair of Mountain West losses on the resume and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rainbow Warriors but end the season playing each other which would provide one with a third loss to drop out of the running. The Spartans also have to play at SDSU the week before while the Bulldogs host Utah State.

New Mexico could be the wild card, sitting at 3-2 in conference play with a bye week before ending the year home against Colorado State, at Air Force and home against San Diego State. If the Lobos are tied with the Rainbow Warriors for the final spot in the conference championship game, the tiebreak goes to the team with the better record against the highest-placed teams in the standings. (MWC Tiebreak Procedure, 4.)

Boise State always plays into the equation as well as they sit at 4-1 in conference and 6-3 overall, though they face question marks regarding the health of starting QB Maddux Madsen and their own matchup against the Aztecs next weekend at Snapdragon Stadium.

All of that word vomit to say, even after last weekend’s metaphorical rainy day on the Rainbow Warrior Mountain West Championship parade, Hawai’i remains firmly in the mix for a bid to the conference title game with a win this weekend.

It’s easier said than done, of course.

But if it was easy, everyone would do it.

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Short-handed Hawai’i holds off Portland State behind young standouts

Short-handed Hawai’i holds off Portland State behind young standouts

Nov 4, 2025

Hawaii G Bailey Flavell lines up a 3-pointer during her first official game with the Rainbow Wahine. The freshman paced the team with 14 points on opening night. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Short-handed Hawai’i holds off Portland State behind young standouts

BY PAUL BRECHT | HONOLULU
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 4, 2025

HONOLULU – Welcome back, Wahine.

After a literal changing of the guard in the program during the offseason that saw nine players move on and eight new faces enter, the University of Hawai’i women’s basketball team continued the winning ways in Mānoa to open the 2025-26 season with a tidy 74-63 victory over Portland State inside Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Tuesday night.

Five different Rainbow Wahine finished in double figures, led by freshman guard Bailey Flavell’s 14 points. Teyahna Bond, Saniya Neverson and Danijela Kujovic each tacked on 11 points for UH while freshman Kyra Webb turned heads with a 10-point, 7-rebound performance in her college debut.

“Good, great home opener,” Hawai’i head coach Laura Beeman said following the win. “I looked at the court at one point and we had four freshmen and a redshirt freshman [to close the game] and we never lost confidence in what that group on the court was going to do.”

Already without the services of Jovi Lefotu, Jade Peacock and Ritorya Tamilo again, the Rainbow Wahine saw senior all-conference forward Imani Perez exit with some discomfort early in the first quarter against the Vikings and be held out for the remainder of the night.

Even without the all-defensive standout, Hawai’i held Portland State to 36% shooting from the field (20-of-55) and just 3-of-19 from behind the arc while forcing 17 turnovers. Last season, the Rainbow Wahine recorded 17 games with 15 or more turnovers forced.

UH started strong, jumping out to a 16-11 lead after one quarter of play behind a balanced scoring effort. Four different Rainbow Wahine scored in the opening five minutes and sophomore Kira-May Filemu helped grab some breathing room by the end of the frame with seven quick points off the bench.

Hawai’i extended the lead to six by halftime behind a defense that held Portland State to 30% shooting from the floor and forced nine turnovers during the opening 20 minutes of action. After pulling within two with 4:11 left before halftime, the Vikings went 1-for-7 to finish the frame.

Bailey Flavell and her fellow freshmen pushed UH’s advantage into double figures quickly into the third quarter as Kujovic, Bond and Flavell ripped off a 6-0 run after giving up the first basket of the second half. Punahou alum Laynee Torres-Kahapea pulled the Vikings within four with under two minutes to go in the third, but Kyra Webb free throw and Kujovic triple to close the quarter sent the Rainbow Wahine into the fourth up, 57-49.

Portland State G Laynee Torres-Kahapea looks up at the shot clock while handling the ball against UH. The Punahou alum had a game-best 22 points in her return to the islands with the Vikings. | Photo Credit: Michael Lasquero, HSRN

Torres-Kahapea and Sophie Buzzard powered another Portland State rally to begin the final period, scoring eight of the first 10 points of the frame to make it a two-point game and force Beeman and Hawai’i to call timeout with 6:37 to play.

Needing to lean on the underclassmen with five key experienced rotational players unavailable down the stretch, the Rainbow Wahine showed poise beyond their years as they held the Vikings without a made field goal and didn’t turn the ball over a single time in the final four minutes of regulation to close out the 74-63 win.

“They have brought energy and effort since Day 1,” Beeman said of newest crop of Rainbow Wahine. “There are things as a freshman that you don’t know that a junior or a senior knows and I thought the last three minutes of this game, that group on the court became tighter, more efficient, more communicative and executed better understanding of time and score.”

Torres-Kahapea led all scorers with 22 points in her return to the islands, going 6-for-8 from the floor (2-for-3 3PT) and 8-of-10 at the free throw line to keep Portland State close throughout. Sophie Buzzard added 20 points and five rebounds while Kyleigh Brown finished as the other player in double figures in the loss for the Vikings with 12 points before fouling out.

The Rainbow Wahine return to action in nine days, playing host to Saint Martin’s before opening up the Bank of Hawai’i Classic the following weekend against LMU as part of a spaced-out November slate. The first road game of the year won’t come until the first week of December for UH, one of just two trips away from the Stan Sheriff Center in the team’s non-conference schedule.

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