'Bows survive Owls' onslaught Hawaii gets a big WAC victory on the road
From staff and wire reportsHOUSTON - It rained hard here the past few days. But it was nothing compared to the downpour of 3-pointers Rice unleashed against Hawaii last night. The Owls hit a school record 13 3-pointers, but the 24th-ranked Rainbows survived the storm, 65-63, at Autry Court.
UH senior forward Micah Kroeger, who missed practice the previous two days with a torn cartilage in his right knee, blocked Bobby Crawford's 12-foot attempt with 1.2 seconds left to preserve the Western Athletic Conference victory for the Rainbows.
The Rainbows improved to 2-2 in the conference and 13-3 overall. Rice slipped to 2-2 and 5-12.
"I was looking for the refs to call a foul even though I knew I didn't foul him," said Kroeger, who hit a free throw with 4.3 seconds left. "It was like everything was in slow motion. Time just kept going and going."
After their first road win of the year, the Rainbows headed to Tulsa, Okla., early this morning for tomorrow's game with the Golden Hurricane (10-8, 2-2). The 3 p.m. game is a homecoming of sorts for UH coach Riley Wallace, who coached at Seminole (Okla.) Junior College from 1984-87.
"We'll have a lot of people there rooting for the Rainbows, what with Casey Cartwright being from Oklahoma and Bryan Moeller playing at nearby Connors State," Wallace said. "This was a very big win for us and we'll definitely be going into Tulsa with a better mental attitude than if we had lost.
"Kroeger's block was perfectly timed and a good no-call by the officials. And Mike Robinson hit some big free throws. We hit Rice on a red-hot night and still managed to win."
It wasn't easy. There were 10 ties and 12 lead changes and neither team led by more than six points.
There were 14 NBA scouts in attendance, most coming to watch Hawaii's touted guard tandem of Anthony Carter and Alika Smith. But the Owls' outside shooters stole the spotlight, with guard Bobby Crawford and forward Robert Johnson hitting 12 of Rice's 13 3-pointers.
Crawford finished with 27 points and Johnson 26 points - 15 above his season average. But Hawaii's interior game - a non-factor in the three previous outings - was the difference. UH outscored the Owls, 38-8, in the paint.
"I thought AC (Carter) stepped it up and Eric (Ambrozich) had a big night with 10 rebounds," Wallace said. "Micah had a gutsy night, playing on one leg. My MVP, though, was Casey Cartwright, who played well and gave us a lift when we were playing dead."
Cartwright stole the ball twice in the final two minutes of the first half, converting one steal into a basket and another into a free throw that tied it at 35. Carter hit from the top of the key with 30 seconds left to put the Rainbows on top, 37-35, at intermission.
Rice hit five 3-pointers in the first 11 minutes of the second half to take a 55-51 lead. But then the Owls went cold, missing four long-range shots in a row as Hawaii went ahead, 59-56, with 4:52 remaining.
Crawford's last trey tied it at 62 with 57 seconds left, but Robinson made two free throws 20 seconds later to give Hawaii the lead for good.
Only Carter was in double figures for Hawaii with 16. Kroeger and Ambrozich added nine points apiece. Smith had another off night with just seven points.
The Rainbows aren't sure what lineup they will face against Tulsa. Personal and academic problems left the Golden Hurricane with just eight players in last week's trip to San Jose State and Fresno State.
Tulsa features Michael Ruffin, a 6-8 junior who is considered one of the best big men in the WAC. Only senior guard Rod Thompson is averaging in double figures (15.9 ppg) for Tulsa, which is 6-3 in the Tulsa Convention Center Arena (8,565 capacity) this season.
WAC basketball
Tomorrow: No. 24 Hawaii (13-3, 2-2) at Tulsa (10-8, 2-2), 3 p.m.
At Autry Court, Houston
mp fgm fga ftm fta reb pf tpKroeger 29 3 8 3 4 6 4 9
Ambrozich 35 4 9 1 2 10 1 9
Galloway 21 3 3 1 2 8 3 7
Smith 34 3 11 0 0 3 0 7
Carter 35 7 12 1 2 4 3 26
Robinson 19 3 6 2 2 4 1 8
Cartwright 17 2 4 3 4 1 1 7
Hook 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Zivanovic 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
Team 3
Totals 200 26 55 11 16 39 14 65
mp fgm fga ftm fta reb pf tpHalftime score-Hawaii 37, Rice 35.Armstrong 22 1 5 0 0 1 2 2
Johnson 38 9 17 2 2 7 2 26
Kelley Sanni 32 2 14 1 2 9 3 5
Stringer 30 1 4 0 0 0 3 3
Crawford 39 7 13 7 9 2 2 27
Michaelis 13 0 4 0 0 3 1 0
Bougaieff 13 0 1 0 0 6 4 0
Wilks 11 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
Thomson 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Team 4
Totals 200 20 59 10 13 34 19 63
3-point goals-Hawaii 2-12 (Carter 1-2, Smith 1-4, Hook 0-1, Cartwright 0-2, Kroeger 0-3), Rice 13-27.Assists-Hawaii 16 (Carter 6, Smith 5, Kroeger 2, Ambrozich 1, Galloway 1, Cartwright 1), Rice 17 . Turnovers-Hawaii 10 (Carter 5, Smith 3, Ambrozich 1, Robinson 1), Rice 11. Steals-Hawaii 8 (Carter 2, Cartwright 2, Kroeger 1, Ambrozich 1, Smith 1, Robinson 1), Rice 6. Blocked shots-Hawaii 6 (Galloway 3, Robinson 2, Kroeger 1), Rice 2.
A-2,893. Officials: Thornley, Reynolds, Hernandez.
1997-98 Rainbow Men’s Basketball Schedule
http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu
