’Bows break losing streak

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The Hawaii basketball team closed out 2007 by snapping a four-game skid with a 74-66 win over Centenary yesterday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Hawaii    Centenary 74 66 NEXT UP at Utah State, Thursday

The Rainbow Warriors (4-8) recovered from a shaky start to end their six-game homestand with a win before a crowd of 2,242. UH fell behind by 13 in the first half, rallied to take an 11-point advantage in the second, and held off the Gents (7-7) down the stretch.

Bobby Nash led four Hawaii players in double figures with 21 points as the Rainbows enjoyed their best shooting night of the season at 53 percent. Jared Dillinger broke out of a shooting slump by hitting four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 17 points. Matt Gibson finished with 12 points and dished out a career-best eight assists and Riley Luettgerodt chipped in with 11 points.

Centenary guard Nick Stallings scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the first half.

The Rainbows are scheduled to depart Honolulu this morning and open Western Athletic Conference play Thursday at Utah State.

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With Hawaii's band, cheerleaders and dancers joining the New Year's revelry in New Orleans, the Rainbow Warriors basketball team handled the duty of livening the atmosphere inside the Stan Sheriff Center on its own last night.

The Rainbows ended the calendar year on a festive note with a 74-66 win over Centenary. They also ended a four-game losing streak before heading on the road to open the Western Athletic Conference schedule.

With the Hawaii football team's appearance in tomorrow's Sugar Bowl drawing most of the athletic department personnel to the mainland, the crowd of 2,242 in the arena last night didn't have much to celebrate early on as Centenary jumped out to a 13-point lead.

But the Rainbows (4-8) rallied past the Gents (7-7) behind a balanced performance and their best shooting night of the season.

Prior to the game, Bob Nash turned to a quote from John Wooden -- "It's amazing how much can get accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit." -- to set the tone.

The Rainbows responded with four players scoring in double figures and dishing out 16 assists.

"We weathered the storm and that was the most important thing, that we stayed together," Nash said. "We didn't divide, and we worked hard for each other."

Bobby Nash led the way with 21 points, while Jared Dillinger broke out of a shooting slump to hit four of six 3-pointers on his way to a career-best 17 points as UH shot 53 percent as a team.

Matt Gibson dished out a career-high eight assists to go along with 12 points. Riley Luettgerodt contributed 11 points and Bill Amis finished with nine points on 4-for-4 shooting with three blocks and three steals.

"We wanted to just win. We didn't care who did what as long as we were positive with each other and just worked their butts off," Bob Nash said.

Dillinger had gone 1-for-11 from 3-point range during the Rainbows' skid, but found his stroke in the first half, when he scored 10 points in a span of less than 2 minutes as the Rainbows erased a 13-point deficit.

"We all struggled a little bit during the (Rainbow Classic), so we all got together and stayed after practice just to shoot extra shots," Dillinger said. "We all know we're good shooters -- it's just maintaining that shooter's confidence."

Centenary shot out of the blocks to open up a 12-point lead less than 6 minutes into the game. Guard Nick Stallings sparked the Gents right away, as the 6-foot-1 junior took a pass on the baseline and exploded to the basket and threw down a dunk on the game's opening possession on his way to scoring 17 of his game-high 24 points in the first half.

While most everything Centenary threw toward the rim went through the net, the Rainbows made just one of their first seven shots and trailed 14-2 at the 14-minute mark.

The lead was 13 when Dillinger powered a 17-4 Rainbows run. The senior hit two 3-pointers off assists from Gibson, and tied the game at 30 by driving under the basket for a reverse layup.

"(Gibson) was doing a really good job of creating and penetrating when we couldn't get anything," Dillinger said. "He made it really easy for the 3-point shooters because we just had to spot up and let it fly."

While the Rainbows shot just under 61 percent after the break, they also tightened up defensively, limiting Centenary to 37.1 percent in the second half.

With Stallings working around screens at the top of the key, Nash came off his man to help cut off the driving lanes and give the UH guards time to recover.

"I had a meeting with Coach (Larry) Farmer that I would start hedging out higher and dragging him up the lane so we could stop him from penetrating," Nash said.

The strategy slowed the Gents down and UH opened an 11-point cushion. But Centenary got hot down the stretch and closed to within three at 69-66 when Tyrone Hamilton drained a deep 3 from the wing with 54 seconds left.

Luettgerodt, Gibson and Dillinger then combined to go 5-for-6 from the free throw line to hold on. The Rainbows now head on the road to open WAC play at Utah State on Thursday.

"(The Rainbows) showed their experience," Centenary coach Rob Flaska said. "There's no doubt that game was decided by experience."