Rainbows ride bench to victory, Classic title

Fueled by reserve power, the Hawaii basketball team defeated Pacific 76-66 on Monday to win the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 2,390 saw the ’Bows overcome foul trouble to win their third in a row to open the season.

Marcus Greene, a 6-foot-2 transfer from Houston Christian, came off the bench to score 18 points and grab seven rebounds. He entered 2 minutes, 34 seconds into the game when the ’Bows went to a three-guard lineup. Greene also defended the wing and ran the point.

Forward Gytis Nemeiksa, who joined the ’Bows in August after transferring from Xavier, contributed 18 points and a team-high 10 rebounds in a reserve role.

The ’Bows’ bench outscored the Tigers’ 44-6.

UH center Tanner Christensen continued his dominance in the low post. Late in the game, he forced Pacific’s Lamar Washington to miss three consecutive layups. Christensen then blocked forward Elias Ralph to trigger a fast break. Christensen, a transfer from Utah Tech, was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.

But for the ’Bows, the boost came from the reserves, led by Greene.

“You could see it in practice,” said associate head coach Brad Davidson, who coordinates the ’Bows’ offense. “And you could see it last year at Houston Christian. He can get a basket when you need him to.”

In Sunday night’s game against San Jose State, Greene faced a defense that collapsed into the low post, forcing him to turn drives into pitchouts to the perimeter shooters or lobs to the 6-foot-10, 255-pound Christensen. On Monday, the Tigers increased the man-to-man pressure. By converging on teammates, Greene said, “my shot just opened up, and I was able to hit ’em. … It was fun to come in with energy and bring a little sparkplug. It was cool coming off the bench and just being able to attack.”

Greene was able to storm the lane, often with a cross-over dribble, and make the most of screens set by Christensen, Nemeiksa and backup center Jerome Palm.

“The offense was breaking down a little, and guys were in foul trouble,” Davidson said. “To have somebody like him who can get you a hoop, and having Tanner Christensen inside, that really helps.”

Davidson said Greene also was able to fill other spots. With 6-10 wing Akira Jacobs in foul trouble, Greene became the weak-side rebounder. Greene, who is 6 feet 2, relied on a 40-inch vertical jump and “a lot of heart” to soar for rebounds.

“We moved him all over the court depending on what we were running,” Davidson said. “He was at the wing sometimes. Then we put him at the point, and wanted him to run that.”

With Greene at the point, Tom Beattie was freed to roam the perimeter. Freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor also logged a season-high 15 minutes, 35 seconds.

“It was the biggest game Aaron played all year,” Davidson said.

Nemeiksa also continued his progress as a relentless second-chance scorer.

“Gytis didn’t have the summer with us,” Davidson said. “He’s getting better. He’s picking things up a little bit. You can see the potential with him.”

Elijah Fisher, a 6-6 guard, scored 15 first-half points — nine on free throws — to help the Tigers take a 37-35 lead into the intermission. But the former 5-star prospect, who previously played at Texas Tech and DePaul, scored only six points in the second half.