Those who didn’t stay up late to watch Hawaii basketball missed an instant classic.
Those who didn’t stay up late to watch Hawaii basketball missed an instant classic.
Roderick Bobbitt drove the length of the court and hit a layup with less than two seconds remaining, and the Rainbow Warriors beat Nevada 76-75 to win the Rainbow Classic at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu in front of a national audience in ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon.
The thriller started at 11 p.m. Monday and ended after 1 a.m. Tuesday. With eight lead changes in the final 2:36 – and five in the final 1:03 – there were enough twists and turns for two days’ worth of basketball
“Credit to the guys,” first-year coach Eran Ganot said. “They make the coaches look good.
“Two really good teams playing at 11 p.m. in their third game in four nights and it comes down to that. That’s great.”
Hawaii is 3-0 for the first time in three seasons, and the Rainbow Warriors piled on top of each other on the court after the victory – which wasn’t secure until Marqueze Coleman’s desperation heave from beyond midcourt fell short, one of Coleman’s few missed shots during his dizzying second half.
With the Rainbow Warriors out of timeouts, Bobbitt alertly went the length of the floor for the game-winner, seconds after Coleman gave the Wolf Pack the lead with a layup with a little more than five seconds remaining.
“The approach was to attack the rim,” Ganot said. “Roderick had layup and missed (earlier) and we wanted to come back to that.”
Aaron Valdes led Hawaii with 18 points, and his 3-pointer early in the second half seemingly put Hawaii comfortably ahead by 16.
Coleman put on a show, however, in leading Nevada back, scoring 32 of career-high 34 points in the second half.
“He’s a power point guard and a hell of a competitor,” Ganot said.
D.J. Fenner’s jumper gave Nevada its first lead since midway through the half, and Coleman sent a jolt through Stan Sheriff Center when he hit a 3-pointer and was fouled by Valdes for a rare four-point play, all the a while barking at the crowd as Nevada led 68-65 with 2:36 left.
Stefan Jankovic hit two free throws to trim the deficit to one, and after a Nevada turnover, Valdes’ layup gave Hawaii the lead.
Cameron Oliver’s dunk leapfrogged the Wolf Pack back in front, but Hawaii went inside to Jankovic, who hit a basket to give his team a 71-70 advantage with just more than a minute remaining.
That lead was short-lived after Coleman made a jumper, and after Bobbitt’s missed layup, Coleman made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line for a 72-20 lead.
Mike Thomas’s only field goal of the second half was a big one for Hawaii. Valdes drove the lane and passed to Thomas, who converted a three-point play with 15 seconds left.
Despite the flurry of lead changes, there were still two left.
“We’re ready for a break,” Ganot said. “I think will give them Tuesday (off) and get them back to class.”
Bobbitt, who was named the Big West Player of the Week on Monday for his work in the first two games of the tournament, finished with 10 points. Quincy Smith and Sai Tummala also had 10 apiece.
Nevada flourished at the free-throw line, making 23 of 26 attempts. Coleman was 15 of 18. Hawaii struggled, going only 14 of 27.
Bobbitt, a senior guard was named tournament Most Outstanding Player, and was joined by Valdes and Tummala on the all-tourney team.
Hawaii gets a bit of rest before hosting Nicholls State on Sunday.
“We have to adjust to how the game is called, and learning will be key for us going forward,” Ganot said.
“We can improve.”
NEVADA (2-1)
West 2-5 1-1 5, Foster 0-0 0-0 0, Coleman 9-14 15-18 34, Criswell 5-10 0-0 10, Fenner 5-16 5-5 16, Oliver 3-7 2-2 8, Rodriguez 0-0 0-0 0, Cooper Jr. 1-7 0-0 2. Totals 25-59 23-26 75.
HAWAII (3-0)
Thomas 3-4 2-3 8, Jankovic 3-6 3-5 9, Bobbitt 4-15 2-5 10, Smith 4-10 2-3 10, Valdes 6-12 5-9 18, Fleming 4-7 0-1 9, Tummala 4-7 0-1 10, Jovanovic 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 29-66 14-27 76.
Halftime—Hawaii 40-28. 3-Point Goals—Nevada 2-10 (Coleman 1-1, Fenner 1-4, Oliver 0-1, Criswell 0-1, Cooper Jr. 0-3), Hawaii 4-19 (Tummala 2-4, Fleming 1-2, Valdes 1-5, Jankovic 0-2, Bobbitt 0-6). Fouled Out—Criswell, Jankovic. Rebounds—Nevada 38 (Oliver 13), Hawaii 37 (Jankovic, Smith 6). Assists—Nevada 5 (Criswell, Fenner 2), Hawaii 9 (Bobbitt, Valdes 3). Total Fouls—Nevada 26, Hawaii 25. Technicals—Coleman, Fleming. A—5,471.