[ RAINBOW BASKETBALL ]
RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Haim Shimonovich and Boise State's Coby Karl battled for a rebound during Saturday night's game.
’Bows face Rice, Tulsa
on pivotal road tripHawaii will try to break the school
record for consecutive conference
victories on Wednesday
The grind of the conference season doesn't allow much time for reveling in past glory.
With the roar of a packed house and the rush of a Western Athletic Conference victory over Boise State just a pleasant memory, the Hawaii basketball team was back on the court in a silent Stan Sheriff Center yesterday afternoon preparing for a pivotal conference road trip.
The Rainbow Warriors then packed up and caught a flight to Houston, where they will face Rice on Wednesday at Autry Court. They'll then take on Tulsa on Saturday before returning for a three-game homestand.
UH (14-3 overall) departed for its second road trip of the season alone in first place in the WAC at 6-1. Fresno State is a half-game back at 6-2 with Rice following at 5-2.
"It seems like every game we go into is more important than the last one and that's the case with our next games," senior guard Michael Kuebler said after the Rainbows secured their sixth straight WAC win by edging Boise State 64-58. "It doesn't get any easier and we just need to get focused."
UH's game with Rice will be played on Wednesday rather than Thursday because of the shortage of hotel rooms in Houston later in the week due to the Super Bowl being in town.
The Rainbows will try to break the school record for consecutive WAC wins against Rice after escaping a close call against Boise State thanks to timely contributions from a number of sources.
Kuebler's 15-point first half allowed UH to keep pace with the Broncos as the rest of the team combined to make four field goals in a 32 percent shooting effort.
"He kept us in the game in the first half, just doing everything," UH coach Riley Wallace said.
Kuebler was held to five points in the second half, but the Rainbows turned to their front line of forwards Phil Martin and Julian Sensley and center Haim Shimonovich for 27 of their 37 second-half points.
The 'Bows made 12 of 20 shots after halftime, nine coming in the paint.
"The first half we didn't shoot well like we usually do here," Shimonovich said. "The second half we put the ball inside and me and Phil had an answer."
Freshman Bobby Nash didn't attempt a shot in his seven minutes on the floor, but gave Kuebler a needed break while providing defensive intensity in a key stretch late in the game.
"He really stepped up defensively on (BSU guard) Coby Karl," Wallace said. "We got a couple turnovers there and he did a good job to rest (Kuebler) to come back in and finish the ballgame for us."
Hawaii also got a lift from the largest crowd of the season as 7,799 fans gave the 'Bows a raucous send-off to their road trip.
"It was the best crowd we've had since the Butler game last year," Kuebler said, referring to the 2002 Rainbow Classic final. "We were talking about it on the court and just getting excited about it."
Said Shimonovich: "The crowd was so into it, it keep me going and the adrenaline shot up."
With the next two games, UH will complete its first cycle through the conference, and the Rainbows know the key to staying in front of the field is focusing on the road ahead rather than the victories behind them.
"It's nothing easy ahead of us, but as long as we continue to improve and get better like we are then we've got a chance," Wallace said.
