By WES NAKAMA
By WES NAKAMA
Stephens Media Hawaii
HONOLULU — University of Hawaii basketball fans can double their pleasure Friday with a women’s and men’s doubleheader at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The double-dip tips off at 5 p.m. as the Rainbow Wahine (4-2) take on Colorado State (3-1), followed by the Rainbow Warriors vs. Montana (1-3) at 7:30. Both games will be televised live statewide on OC16.
Montana is 1-3 but two of the losses were narrow defeats to solid programs. The Grizzlies lost at Washington, 83-79, on Tuesday after leading 42-36 at halftime, and fell to San Francisco at home, 75-74, on Nov. 22. Montana finished last season at 25-7 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year and third time in four years.
Friday’s meeting is a return game from an ESPN Bracket Busters game at Missoula, Mont., on Feb. 18, 2012. The Grizzlies won that one 94-79.
Tickets for the women’s game (all general admission) are $7 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $3 for students and may be purchased until halftime. Fans in the arena by halftime are welcome to stay for the men’s game, as long as they move to an unoccupied seat in the upper level.
Tickets for the men’s game are $26 for the lower bowl, $18 for the upper level, $16 for senior citizens (upper level) and $5 for youth (ages 4 through high school, upper level). Anyone with a men’s ticket will be admitted free into the women’s game.
BIG WEST FINALE FOR WAHINE SPIKERS: The No. 12-ranked UH women’s volleyball team, meanwhile, wraps up its Big West Conference season with road matches at Cal Riverside on Friday and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday.
The Rainbow Wahine are 22-4 overall and 11-3 in the Big West, trailing first-place Cal Santa Barbara (12-2) and second-place Cal State Northridge (12-3). But UH is No. 11 in the important Ratings Percentage Index, which is used as a tool by the NCAA Tournament selection committee in determining the top 16 seeds.
By rule, the top 16 seeds are supposed to be offered the opportunity to host first and second-round matches Dec. 5-7.
Cal Riverside is 2-25, 1-14, and Cal State Fullerton is 11-16, 4-11.
FOOTBALL TICKET SALES WILL HELP PHILIPPINES: Ticket sold for Saturday’s UH football game vs. Army will be matched by a $5 donation to the “Filipino Community Center – Aloha for Philippines” fund to benefit victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
The donation, with a maximum of $20,000, is being provided by UH supporters who asked to remain anonymous.
MEN’S SWIMMERS WIN ARENA INVITATIONAL: The Rainbow Warriors swim team won the Arena Invitational championship last Saturday at Monterey Park, Calif.
UH had five first-place finishes and ended up with 1,649 points, well ahead of second-place host UC San Diego (1,261).
Yuri Samouilich won the 100 free, Alistar MacLean won the 200 back and the two of them joined Karl-Richard Hennebach and Ryan Mukata to win the 400 free relay. Eduardo Guimaraes (200 fly) and Victor Goicoechea (1,650 free) each won gold medals in their events.
The Rainbow Wahine took third place in the women’s competition, behind first-place San Diego State and runner-up San Jose State.