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RAINBOW BASKETBALL


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GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Senior forward Vaidotas Peciukas had an instant impact in Hawaii's win over Southern Illinois in November.


Rainbows’ Peciukas shows
up just in time

The senior’s game has heated up
as his career winds down

Vaidotas Peciukas' senior season has been a study in taking quality over quantity.

The Hawaii senior forward may not play an abundance of minutes, but Peciukas takes pride in providing the Rainbow Warriors a jolt of energy off the bench when Riley Wallace signals for him to check into the game.

Nevada at Hawaii

When: Today, 7:05 p.m.

Where: Stan Sheriff Center

TV: Live, KFVE

Radio: Live, KKEA 1420-AM

Internet: HawaiiAthletics.com

Tickets: $20 (lower level, single seats only); $15 (upper level, adult); $5 (upper level, students); $3 (upper level, UH students); $5 (Super Rooter/Manoa Maniacs)

Parking: $3

"I've been waiting for that moment, so I'm always ready to come in and help out," Peciukas said. "When you get your chance, you just have to go as hard as you can."

Three years as a reserve have taught Peciukas to make the most of the opportunities he's granted, and his chances to perform for the Stan Sheriff Center crowd have dwindled to a precious few, as he's among three seniors swiftly approaching the conclusion of their UH careers.

Peciukas, forward Jeff Blackett and guard Jake Sottos will make their final regular-season appearances at home in Western Athletic Conference contests tonight against No. 25 Nevada and Saturday against Fresno State.

"It went fast," Peciukas said of his three years with the Rainbows. "The last couple games I got to play more and felt the excitement. But it's coming to an end, so it's kind of sad. I'm definitely going to miss Hawaii fans and playing ball, but you have to move on."

Peciukas is averaging 4.3 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game while backing up Julian Sensley at small forward most of the year.

His contributions tend to come in quick bursts rather than sustained stretches, and Wallace has taken him to task over his practice habits and conditioning in the past. But Peciukas picked up his play in the last month and has gotten more consistent playing time recently. He's responded by shooting 68 percent from the field in the last five games while providing eight points per game off the bench.

"He's been a good kid," Wallace said. "He goes to class, he's got good grades and he's a polite young man. I wish his game would have more energy in practice to where he'd get more time in games."

Peciukas thrives in an open-court game, and his familiarity with the UH offense allows him to find soft spots in the defense in the 'Bows' half-court sets as well. He also won't shy away from attacking the basket from the wing if he senses an opening.

"He knows where to find the gaps," Blackett said. "He's a real crafty player. He knows his spots and he can get past quicker people because of that."

Peciukas transferred to UH as a sophomore in 2002 and is the second longest tenured player on the Rainbows roster. He and junior center Milos Zivanovic are the only UH players who have been with the program more than two seasons.

Peciukas, who started six games over his first two seasons at UH, had been working on his game last summer in hopes of earning more minutes as a senior until injuries sent him back to the sidelines.

He had been posting big numbers in the NCAA Summer League when he broke a bone in his left foot last July. He returned in time for the start of practice, but his bad luck continued when he suffered a knee injury in the first week of workouts.

His recovery from surgery to repair a tear in the MCL in his left knee kept him out of practice and he sat out the Rainbows' first two games this season.

Peciukas said he has wondered how different this season might have been had he stayed healthy in the preseason. But he takes a philosophical approach to the mishaps.

"You always think about that, but that's the way it is," he said. "You can't be upset about it; you just have to move on and go on with what you have."

Peciukas finally got on the court against Southern Illinois on Nov. 29 and, as has become his trademark, made an instant impact. With UH trailing by one, he drove down the lane for the go-ahead layup with 44.3 seconds left and the Rainbows hung on for a 66-64 win.

Peciukas has particularly enjoyed playing against Boise State in his career as three of his most productive performances came against the Broncos. He shot 65 percent (15-for-23) in his last three games against BSU and posted a career-high 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field in UH's 81-67 win on Feb. 16.

Peciukas was the third in a line of Lithuanians to find their way to Manoa from Weatherford (Texas) College, following the path taken by Nerijus Puida and Mindaugas Burneika.

With his playing career drawing to a close, Peciukas is aiming to complete work on a sociology degree this summer and plans to return to Lithuania in the fall in hopes of hooking on with a team in Europe.

"Every one of them have been good people," Wallace said of the Rainbows' Lithuanian connection. "They love the game of basketball and they play it right. They've all played hard for us."

Notes: Wallace indicated that Sensley will likely return to the starting lineup for tonight's game. Sensley had started 55 consecutive games before coming off the bench in the last three. Bobby Nash started at small forward in those games. ... If Nevada can sweep its road trip, the Wolf Pack will be the first WAC team to go undefeated in conference road games since Utah went 7-0 in the Pacific Division in 1999. ... Nevada returns home next week to host the WAC tournament, which opens Tuesday. But defending the tournament title on their home floor remains a distant thought for the Wolf Pack. "It seems like it's three weeks away," first-year coach Mark Fox said. "League play is such a grind and takes so much of your focus we haven't thought much about the league tournament."



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