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Video update: Travel weary Warriors drop Asia finale in Japan

The exchange rate for points isn’t quite as good in Japan as it is in China.

The Hawaii basketball team found that out in a 94-70 loss to the Panasonic Trians on Saturday afternoon (Japan time). The exhibition game was played before around 500 fans in Osaka, Japan.

The Warriors went 3-1 against professional teams in China, but the Trians from Japan’s top professional league proved to be too much. It also appeared that two weeks of traveling in foreign territory finally caught up to the Warriors.

On Friday alone, the Warriors spent nearly 15 hours traveling from Beijing, China, to Osaka.

“They got us good. They were good and they jumped on us early and we had a hard time coming back,” Hawaii head coach Gib Arnold said. “This was maybe the only game where I really felt like we didn’t have the legs and ran out of steam.”

The Trians opened the game with a 14-4 run and never looked back. By halftime, the Warriors trailed 47-28.

Joston Thomas led the Warriors with 17 points. Shaquille Stokes added 15, despite sitting for almost half of the game due to foul trouble. Hauns Brereton and Brandon Jawato each scored 11 points — all in the second half.

“We’re not going to use that as an excuse,” Thomas said of the travel. “We’ve been traveling throughout the whole trip … we got some young guys on the team and the older guys, we have to come together and make everybody better as a whole. So that’s what we’re going to focus on. Right now, it’s still early — it’s not even preseason yet. We’re going to use this as a building block.”

Others who scored were Davis Rozitis with eight, Trevor Wiseman with five, and Bobby Miles with three.

Starting guard Zane Johnson did not play due to an ankle injury.

The Panasonic team featured two American players — former UCLA star Charles O’Bannon, and former Virginia Tech standout Adrian Custis, who finished with a game-high 30 points. Arnold invited those two players to talk to the Warriors after the game.

“Coach asked us to share a little bit about our experience and what those guys can learn from this,” O’Bannon said. “I thought they were very good. Well-coached. Of course its preseason and we both have a long way to go, but it looks positive and looks good for them.”

It was the final exhibition game on the 2011 Warriors to Asia tour for the Hawaii basketball team. The Warriors went 3-1 against pro teams from China, and 0-1 in Japan.

“I thought it would happen a little earlier, quite honestly — we kind of avoided it,” Arnold said of the jet lag. “The guys have played through fatigue the whole trip. We’ve been tired and traveled a lot and this was the first time where it really came up to them.”

Despite the loss in the tour finale, the Warriors still walked away with two weeks of bonding and a fortune of memories.

“It exceeded expectations from top to bottom,” Arnold said of the trip. “We got better. We grew closer together. We had a phenomenal educational experience, too. I don’t know how you can learn about this culture from a book.”

Stokes, a true freshman from Harlem, N.Y., added: “Great experience. Probably one of the best experiences of my life.”

The team is scheduled to return to Honolulu on Sunday.

17 Comments

  1. Thanks so much for all the videos. I’m more excited for the season than ever before. Midnight madness can’t come soon enough.

  2. Yep, tired legs and tired minds. Think about it, after a long trip from home………we all know the feeling. But you know what, those Warrior Insider t-shirts look great!

  3. Yes, thanks for a wonderful journey through the eyes of your camera. It took a lot more work than people realize, but I know anyone who tuned in appreciate your efforts. Looking forward to the season, too, and more video/updates on your web site.

  4. Thanks for all your hard work! We enjoyed every part of the journey in China. Everyone
    here can’t thank you enough! Excited for the season games to start. Go Warriors!

  5. This year could be huge for joston. Coach got to play him at the 4. He may be a little undersized, but he makes up for it with strength & quickness.

  6. A big MAHALO to Pacific Risk Solutions and the other donors who stepped up and covered the costs of sending Dayton along on the Warriors to Asia tour. The articles and videos have been great for fans and for building support for the UH basketball program. We have a class coaching staff and players who represented Hawaii well both on and off the court. Can’t wait for the season to start!

  7. when u lose u always say no legs. the most common excuse

  8. Great experience for the Warriors! Now that they’re back on the rock, it’s time to hit the books hard…then get back to improving their game. This team is showing some serious promise early on!

  9. We’re going to be last in the WAC again, I think Gib is going to be another Nash!

  10. haha who is this imposter. posting as me

  11. Hawaiifan09 is no fan of the Warriors , he works for Fresno st.

  12. Great job Dayton on covering this trip!

  13. Dayton: Much Mahalos! The coverage is incredible. Team looks pretty good. Still have some things to work on but there is potential. Thanks again.

  14. Everyones in denial if they think the team looks good. They’re mediocre at best.

  15. hawaiianfan09/hawaiifan09, who im sure is the same person anyway… you and your negative comments… you sure are no hawaii fan who doesn’t belong on this site.

  16. His call name is actually fresneck09 ,prior to Gib the program was below mediocre, call it deplorable.

  17. Thanks Dayton, I loved all the video updates. You allowed us all to experience the trip and be part of the team in some small way. Really looking forward to the season. Vander coming back is key …

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