[ RAINBOW BASKETBALL ]
Rainbows hope to
avoid another Spartan
letdownHawaii is wary of SJSU,
despite it being winless
in the WAC
As Hawaii ventures into the second half of the Western Athletic Conference basketball schedule, history has taught the Rainbow Warriors to step carefully around San Jose State.
Hawaii enters tonight's game at the Stan Sheriff Center perched in first place in the conference at 15-4 overall and 7-2 in WAC play. San Jose State (5-14, 0-9), meanwhile, is lurking at the bottom of the conference standings, looking for a chance to sting the Rainbows.
San Jose State at Hawaii
When: Today, 7 p.m.Where: Stan Sheriff Center
TV: Live, KFVE-TV
Radio: Live, 1420-AM
Internet: uhathletics.hawaii.edu
Tickets: Lower Level, $15 (single seats only); Upper Level (adult) $11; Upper Level (student, UH) $5; Super Rooter $8. The first 100 UH students receive free admission in the upper level.
Parking: $3
Notes: SJSU has used a different starting lineup in each of the last 11 games. Ten players have started at least one game this season. ... Brown leads the WAC in steals with 2.06 per game. ... Kuebler is second in the WAC in scoring, trailing Nevada's Kirk Snyder (19.5 ppg). ... Sensley is the reigning WAC Player of the Week. Walton won the award the week of Dec. 15. ... SJSU coach Phil Johnson is 24-51 in three seasons at SJSU, but is 3-2 against UH. ... UH has the best winning percentage among WAC teams since the 2000-01 season. The 'Bows are 78-36 (.684) in that span.
"They'll get somebody -- I just hope it's not us," Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said.
Hawaii begins its second tour through the WAC a half-game ahead of Rice and Texas-El Paso. And although SJSU has yet to win a conference game, UH knows better than to overlook the Spartans.
San Jose State was 2-9 in the WAC prior to its visit to the Sheriff Center last year, but stunned the Rainbows with a 55-54 win, breaking UH's 24-game home winning streak. The Spartans were the only WAC team to sweep UH last season.
"They're going to come here and they have nothing to lose," UH center Haim Shimonovich said. "I know they're going to come in and play as hard as they can."
The 'Bows have had a week to recharge following a double-overtime win at Tulsa last Saturday and open a three-game homestand with tonight's game.
San Jose State arrived on Thursday, returning to the origin of its current 11-game losing streak. The Spartans had won four in a row before losing to Brigham Young-Hawaii 85-75 on Dec. 22 in the championship game of the Surf 'N Slam Tournament in Laie.
They haven't won since and suffered their worst loss of the season a week ago, getting blown out at Rice 82-49.
"The main thing we preach is we're not giving up, we're not going to quit working," SJSU coach Phil Johnson said. "I think they see on tape that many of the errors we're making are correctable. It's just a breakdown here or there."
Although wins have escaped them, the Spartans have come tantalizingly close to claiming victory on several occasions during their streak. There was a six-point loss to Fresno State early in the WAC season followed by a seven-point defeat to UH in San Jose.
Hawaii saw a 12-point halftime lead shrink to three in the final minute of the game. But the 'Bows hung on for an 83-76 win.
"We're a few shots away, a few mistakes away," SJSU forward Brett Lilly said. "We feel like it's a new season now; we're starting the second half of the WAC and we're excited and ready to go."
SJSU center Eric Walton is the team's focal point, leading the Spartans in scoring (12.4 points per game) and rebounding (7.3 rpg). Lilly is tied for the WAC lead in 3-point shooting percentage at 42 percent.
UH's Michael Kuebler is second at 40 percent behind the arc and is one 3-pointer away from becoming the seventh Hawaii player to drain 100 in his career.
The Rainbows are preparing to counter an SJSU team that looks to control the tempo of the game and put a premium on each possession.
"They're going to slow it down, so you can't afford to make mistakes. You have to run your plays and make good passes," said UH forward Jeff Blackett, who scored a career-high 19 points in the first meeting between the teams. "They're always going to be right there, so if you make a mistake they'll have a chance to win."
While the Spartans look to finally break through in the conference season, UH is hoping to make them wait at least one more game.
"I think they play sound enough that they should have or could have won some ballgames," Wallace said. "We don't want their first 'W' to be here."
