Rainbows come up big
Hawaii's big men -- for the most part missing in action Saturday -- reappeared last night in a big way at the Stan Sheriff Center as the Rainbows beat Nevada 60-53.
While guard Michael Kuebler led the way with 23 points, UH also couldn't have won without the energized play of frontliners Phil Martin, Haim Shimonovich and Julian Sensley ... something that was almost non-existent two nights before in a loss against Fresno State.
Wolf Pack star Kirk Snyder scored 21 points, but he did it on 8-of-18 shooting as Martin made him work for everything. The Rainbows went in figuring Snyder would score; UH just didn't want him taking over the game as he threatened to do early, scoring 12 points in the first 10 minutes, helping Nevada to a 25-16 lead.
"Most of my focus was trying to contain Snyder as much as I could. A guard comes with a different package. It takes a moment to adjust to that," Martin said. "It takes a moment to warm up to him, I'll tell you that. You have to keep in front of him, a small distance and always have your hand up. If he tries to take you on the dribble you have to beat him to the spot."
Martin wasn't alone, though. Sensley and others helped slow down Snyder, who came in averaging 16.4 points per game.
"That's the key thing, too. Help defense," Martin said. "That's the best thing to stop anyone."
Snyder didn't help himself by making only two of eight from the line.
Martin finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
In addition to a team-high 11 rebounds and three assists, Sensley also scored 10 points. But they were a little more spectacular, including two crashing dunks.
Sensley's first slam might have been the turning point of the game. He swept in from the wing with 3:48 left in the first half and tied the game at 27. It was part of a 15-2 run that gave UH a 31-27 halftime lead.
"I was a little worried about my (bruised) shoulder when I went up," said Sensley, who shot just once from the floor on Saturday. "But I saw that baseline wide open so I just took it and went up with two hands and finished it on him. It got the fans and the team going."
Sensley and Martin said a pregame talk got Shimonovich going. The senior center came back from a weak foul-plagued performance on Saturday to gather nine rebounds in 27 minutes last night. He scored only three points, but his presence helped limit Nevada starting forwards Sean Paul and Kevinn Pinkney to two points and eight rebounds between them.
"That's our Big Daddy," Martin said. "It takes a little bit of talking to him and motivation. It comes down to who you want to be known as and what you do on the floor.
Added Sensley: "It was more a team thing. In the locker room before the game we talked about how we need to get fired up before games."
Milos gets minutes: UH forward Milos Zivanovic played a season-high 13 minutes, scoring two points grabbing two rebounds.
His previous high was two minutes this season. Coach Riley Wallace said the sophomore will continue to be a part of the rotation, especially to spell Shimonovich.
"Milos I thought did a good job and will continue to get a look because he's been working hard in practice," Wallace said. "It's time for him to get his shot."
Ref-erendum: As the officials came out for the second half, the Hawaii fans let them know how they felt loud and clear about a technical foul called against Wallace at the end of the first half.
Wallace wanted a foul called against Nevada when Jeff Blackett went up for an unsuccessful shot near the basket at the end of the first 20 minutes. Instead, he got T'd.
Todd Okeson made one of the two foul shots when the teams came back out after the break.
From the gridiron: Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier said he expects to make an announcement by the end of the week regarding the fighting at the end of the Dec. 25 Hawaii Bowl between Hawaii and Houston players.
Frazier also said he hopes to have the 2004 football schedule finalized within 45 days. He is still trying to book an opponent from a major conference to replace Sacramento State for the season opener.