ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rice's Yamar Diene, who had 28 points and 19 rebounds last night, reached over Hawaii's Nkeruwem Akpan. The 'Bows won 62-61.
Mission continues TULSA, Okla. >> Although they had staved off elimination with a dramatic overtime win just moments earlier, members of the Hawaii basketball team weren't exactly exuberant as they addressed the media last night.
for Rainbows
Hawaii escapes elimination in overtime
Martin digs deep to lift UH
and plays host Tulsa nextBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comFor the Rainbow Warriors, the 62-61 victory over Rice in the quarterfinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament was just another step toward their ultimate goal -- a third straight conference title.
"We're really on a mission," UH guard Carl English said. "We can't get overconfident. It's just one win, we've got two more to go."
The quest for the fifth-seeded Rainbows continues today with a semifinal game against top seed and tournament host Tulsa. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Hawaii time. The game will air live locally on KFVE-TV and on radio on KKEA (1420-AM).
Southern Methodist faces Nevada in today's first semifinal set for 2 p.m.
While the Rainbows had to put in some extra work, Tulsa cruised to an 81-47 win over ninth-seeded UTEP to set up a rematch of the last two WAC tournament championship games.
Hawaii defeated Tulsa on the Donald W. Reynolds Center floor in the last two finals. But the Golden Hurricane handed a flu-ridden UH team its worst loss of this season, a 76-51 blowout, in their last meeting here on Feb. 27.
"I think our guys will look forward to playing them and I think it'll be a great, great ballgame for a semifinal," Tulsa coach John Phillips said. "They were a lot tougher than us the last two years."
Said Hurricane guard Jason Parker: "This is our home court and we're definitely going to protect it."
Hawaii's reign nearly ended last night, as the Rainbows (18-10) were taken to the limit by Rice (19-10).
English's two free throws with 4.9 seconds left in the overtime proved to be the difference in a tense game from beginning to end.
"Our guys played with all their heart tonight, really gutted it out," UH coach Riley Wallace said. "We made some mistakes down the stretch where we might have won this thing in regulation if we hadn't. But they didn't drop their heads, they kept going and hit big shots and big free throws."
Phil Martin led Hawaii with 21 points and 14 rebounds. The junior forward was the only UH player to score from the field in the final 10:37 of the game.
English shot four-for-14 from the field, but finished with 15 points and made four free throws in overtime.
UH center Nkeruwem Akpan finished with 11 points and eight rebounds and Haim Shimonovich returned from an ankle injury to provide a defensive presence in the middle.
With Shimonovich nursing his sprained ankle and Akpan struggling with foul trouble, Rice pounded Hawaii inside in a 75-58 win on March 1.
Rice forward Michael Harris and center Yamar Diene combined for 28 points and 19 rebounds last night, but Wallace was pleased with the effort of his post players overall.
"The last time we played them they scored 42 points in the paint," Shimonovich said. "So it was a big key and I think we did a good job."
Omar-Seli Mance led Rice with 23 points on seven-of-10 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers.
The senior guard had a chance to tie the game with two free throws with 2.8 seconds left in overtime. He missed the first shot, and tried to miss the second to give the Owls a chance to score on a putback. But the ball banked in and Hawaii was able to run out the clock.
"They put themselves in a position to win and as a coach it hurts like crazy to lose a game like this," Rice coach Willis Wilson said. "It was a good effort on our part, but Hawaii did everything they needed to do. When we answered, they answered back."
The Rainbows and Owls traded blows in the first half with Rice seesawing to a 26-25 lead at halftime.
Hawaii assumed the lead early in the second half and opened up a nine-point cushion at the 9:39 mark on a short jumper by Akpan. But Rice whittled away at the lead as the Rainbows went cold from the field. Mance drilled a 3-pointer to knot the score at 51 with 1:10 left.
The Rainbows reclaimed the lead on two free throws by Martin, but Rice answered with a bucket by Harris with three seconds left to send the game into overtime tied at 53.
The teams traded the lead early in the extra period. Martin's jumper with 2:21 left ended a span of nearly eight minutes without a field goal for Hawaii.
Rice took a 59-57 lead on a dunk by Harris, but Martin was fouled while hitting another jump shot and completed the three-point play to put UH up 60-59.
After Diene tied it with a free throw, the Rainbows worked the ball to English, who drove down the right side of the lane and drew a foul from Rashid Smith.
English made both shots to give UH the lead for good.
"I like the ball in that situation," English said. "I made it and that's what counts."
But the Rainbows couldn't celebrate just yet.
After a timeout, Mance was fouled by Campbell on an inbounds play. But his miss gave Hawaii its seventh straight WAC tournament victory, tying the record.
"We've had a lot of close games this season," English said. "A couple didn't go our way, but you learn from those and those negative experiences turn into a positive some time. Sooner or later the ball bounces your way."
No. 1 Tulsa 81, No. 9 UTEP 47: The Golden Hurricane controlled the game from the tip and led 37-13 at halftime.
Dante Swanson, Jason Parker and Seneca Collins scored 12 points each, as every Tulsa player who entered the game scored.
UTEP freshman John Tofi was injured early in the second half and was taken from the floor on a stretcher. He was taken to a local hospital, and UTEP coach Billy Gillispie said he should be fine.
"They just want to take all the precautions," Gillispie said.
No. 2 SMU 65, No. 7 Boise State 58: WAC Player of the Year Quinton Ross exploded for 29 points as the Mustangs (17-12) held off the Broncos (13-16) in yesterday's opening game.
Ross made 10 of 17 shots from the field and was five-for-10 behind the 3-point line. Jason Ellis kept Boise State close with 15 points and 14 rebounds.
No. 3 Nevada 72, No. 6 Louisiana Tech 66: The Wolf Pack held off a late rally by the Bulldogs to advance to the semifinals.
Nevada (17-12) had a 20-point lead with 11 minutes left in the game, but Louisiana Tech (12-15) cut its deficit to six at 69-63 with less than a minute left. The Bulldogs could get no closer and finished the season with their sixth straight loss.
Kirk Snyder led Nevada with 25 points. Lavelle Felton scored 19 for Louisiana Tech.
Hawaii 62, Rice 61, OT
WARRIORS (18-10, 9-9 wac)
fg fga ft fta min reb a tp Martin 8 16 5 5 41 14 1 21 English 4 14 5 6 41 2 4 15 Kuebler 1 7 0 0 40 6 4 2 Akpan 4 9 3 6 26 8 1 11 Campbell 1 3 0 0 45 1 6 3 Shimonovich 2 4 1 4 23 2 0 5 Peciukas 2 2 1 2 9 2 0 5 Pickart 0 0 0 0 0+ 0 0 0 Team 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 Totals 22 55 15 21 225 36 16 62 OWLS (19-10, 11-7 wac)
fg fga ft fta min reb a tp Evans 0 0 1 2 21 4 2 1 Diene 6 10 2 4 35 9 0 14 Mance 7 10 5 6 40 4 1 23 Smith 0 3 0 0 29 1 4 0 McKrieth 1 6 0 0 19 1 2 2 Gillespie 2 12 0 0 29 2 2 5 Walton 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 Kellik 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 Harrison 1 1 0 1 6 0 0 2 Moore 0 1 0 0 9 2 0 0 Harris 6 12 2 5 33 10 0 14 Team 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 Totals 23 55 10 18 225 38 12 61 Key -- fg: field goals; fga: field goals attempted; ft: free throws; fta: free throws attempted; min: minutes; reb: rebounds; a: assists; tp: total points.
Halftime -- Rice 26, Hawaii 25.
3-point goals--Hawaii 3-11 (English 2-6, Campbell 1-3, Kuebler 0-2); Rice 5-16 (Mance 4-7, Gillespie 1-7, McKrieth 0-2).
Personal fouls--Hawaii 18, Rice 21.
Technical fouls--none.
Steals-- Hawaii 9 (Martin 4, English 2, Kuebler, Akpan, Pickart); Rice 10 (Diene 5, Evans 2, Gillespie 2, Smith).
Blocked shots--Hawaii 1 (Peciukas); Rice 2 (Diene 2).
Turnovers--Hawaii 18 (English 5, Campbell 4, Martin 3, Shimonovich 2, TEAM 2, Kuebler, Peciukas); Rice 22 (Mance 5, Evans 3, McKrieth 3, Walton 3, Diene 2, Moore 2, Harris 2, Smith, Harrison).
Officials--Frank Bosone, Bobby Hunt, Kelly Self.
A--N/A.
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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hawaii's Phil Martin shot over Rice's Michael Harris yesterday. Martin had a team-high 21 points and 14 rebounds.
TULSA, Okla. >> Phil Martin is an affable young man off the court. Martin digs deep to lift UH
By Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comOn it, his facial expressions do not reveal the gritty determination he brings to the Hawaii basketball team.
It is a quality that pervades the Rainbows Warriors, and they needed every bit of that characteristic last night to edge Rice 62-61 in overtime in a Western Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal.
Martin helped UH stay close in the first half with team highs of eight points and six rebounds.
"We ran this play, 23, where we were able to open things up inside so we could post up. There is no weak-side help, so it's a one-on-one battle," said Martin. "We started running it against UTEP (in the last regular-season game). This was something new, a twist because our opponents think they know what to expect."
The Rainbows arrived here Monday with a good attitude coming off two home victories.
"We're on a mission. We're the two-time defending champions. We just haven't had success on the road," said Martin. "That has been our only downfall. People look down on us, but the people at home see what we are capable of doing. I don't think we ever got the full respect we deserved after the great season we had last year."
The Rainbows and Owls beat each other rather decisively on their home courts. But, last night, the third meeting of the year was at a neutral site.
"Playing on a neutral court is huge. We've had good success on this floor and played some great games here," Martin said. "It's kind of a second home. We know the atmosphere and the guys have been here before. We respect Rice. They are a tough team and there is no way we overlooked them."
UH went ahead by nine points twice in the second half, the last on Michael Kuebler's layup with 7:40 to play. The Owls never quit and turned up the defensive heat following Martin's jumper at the 5:37 mark, holding the Rainbows without a field goal the remainder of regulation. His two free throws with 45 seconds to play gave UH a two-point lead.
Dan Pickart frantically chased down an errant Rice pass and got the ball to Martin in the lane.
"I saw the basket, saw a defender and heard Carl (English) call for the ball to my right," said Martin. Unfortunately, his ill-timed pass to English was stolen by Rashid Smith and, after a Rice timeout with 22 ticks on the clock remaining, the Owls tied the score on Michael Harris' layup three seconds before the horn.
Martin wasn't about to let the mistake affect his game in overtime.
"You get those small moments. Sometimes it catches up to you, but it comes down to your reserve, your heart," said Martin. "The other guys are doing the same thing. It's who wants the win most. It's a mental game. I felt I could dig down deep."
Hawaii did not get a field goal in overtime until Martin hit a jumper from the left side just off the lane with 2:23 left. He canned the only other UH field goal in the extra period at 1:05, then completed the three-point play at the free-throw line for a 60-59 Rainbow lead.
"I feel very comfortable anywhere inside the 3-point line. Those jumpers were all silk," said Martin.
Yamar Diene made one free throw with 29 seconds to go, but Martin pulled down his 14th rebound on Diene's missed second attempt. That possession set the stage for English to drive the lane and draw the foul with five seconds remaining. English made both free throws for the margin of victory.
Martin's 21 points and 14 rebounds topped the 'Bows. It was his third double-double of the season, all against Rice.
"Winning a game like this just revitalizes the body," he said.
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