UPDATED: Warriors score overtime road win at Fresno State
Led by big man Vander Joaquim, the Hawai’i basketball team came up big on the road.
Joaquim scored 10 of his 23 points in overtime to lead the Warriors to a 74-68 overtime victory over Fresno State on Thursday night at Fresno, Calif. A crowd of 5,957 at the Save Mart Center left in silence as the Warriors out-scored the Bulldogs 16-10 in the overtime session.
“That’s a big win for our program,” Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold said of the team’s first victory away from the Islands this season. “Anytime you can win on the road it’s great. When you have to fight back through adversity it’s even better.”
The Warriors improved to 10-6 overall and 2-0 in the Western Athletic Conference. Fresno State dropped to 7-11 and 0-3. It is the first time since the 2005-06 season that Hawai’i has started 2-0 in WAC play.
The Warriors led by as many as 13 points in the first half, but then had to score twice in the final 30 seconds of regulation to send the game to overtime. Joaquim hit a short jumper with five seconds remaining to tie the score at 58 to force the extra period.
“That just helps us build character,” Arnold said. “We could have folded a lot of times in that game and these guys didn’t. I’m very proud of this team right now.”
Hawai’i senior guard Zane Johnson scored a game-high 24 points, including 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range.
Joaquim, a 6-foot-10 junior center, converted 9 of 11 shots from the field. He scored 11 in the second half, then 10 in the overtime. He also grabbed 16 rebounds for his fifth double-double of this season.
Led by Joaquim, the Warriors out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 46-35. Hawai’i also finished with a .519 field goal percentage, while limiting Fresno State to .346.
“Vander’s been great all year,” Arnold said. “I think it’s going to be his year. We are going to keep pounding it inside. They did a great job in the first half of doubling and causing a lot of trouble. And we tried to make a few adjustments at halftime and get the ball into Vander. He was playing great ball and kept demanding the ball.”
Senior point guard Miah Ostrowski did not score, but passed for a career-high 11 assists. Joaquim’s two clutch baskets in the final 30 seconds of regulation both came off assists from Ostrowski.
However, Arnold awarded his unofficial game MVP honors to sophomore guard Garrett Jefferson, who scored a career-high 10 points and played a key defensive role. Jefferson was primarily responsible for defending Fresno State leading scorer Kevin Olekaibe, who entered the game averaging 18.0 points per game.
Olekaibe finished with 15 points, but it came on 5 of 17 shooting, including just 2 of 7 from 3-point range. “Garrett really locked him up,” Arnold noted.
“I want to give Hawai’i credit tonight. They played hard,” Fresno State head coach Rodney Terry said. “They are a good team and have gotten off to a good start.”
The Warriors started the game with a 16-3 lead and eventually took a 32-23 lead at intermission. The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 10-1 run to tie the score at 33, and the game stayed close the rest of the way.
Each team scored twice in a frantic final minute of regulation to force the overtime. Fresno State took its first lead of the second half when Jerry Brown hit a jumper from the wing to give the Bulldogs a 55-54 advantage with 43.3 seconds left.
After a dunk by Joaquim put Hawai’i back in front at 56-55, Fresno State’s Steven Shepp drained a long 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs up 58-56 with 14.5 seconds remaining. Joaquim’s shot from close range with 5 seconds remaining then sent it to overtime.
The Warriors scored the first seven points of overtime and then held off the Bulldogs the rest of the way.
Among other Warriors who contributed, Trevor Wiseman finished with 11 points and six rebounds, and Joston Thomas had six points and seven rebounds.
The Warriors will stay on the road for another WAC game on Saturday. They are scheduled to depart for Reno, Nev., early Friday morning, and will play at Nevada on Saturday evening.
Nevada defeated San Jose State, 81-57, on Thursday for its 10th consecutive victory. The Wolf Pack is 13-3 overall and 3-0 in the conference.
(WarriorInsider.com file photos courtesy Brandon Flores)
Here are some video highlights and interviews from the Warriors’ victory over Fresno State, courtesy of UH basketball media relations director Neal Iwamoto:
awesome win for the guys tonight! glad they fought through it and pulled out the win. hard to lose the lead and still stay focused and not only tie it, but take the momentum into OT and take command and hold the lead. hope this carries over into Reno!
It’s funny how when the team wins hawaiifan09 is no where to be seen…
Perhaps hawaiifan09 is a disgruntled ex-player…
AWESOME…NOW IF WE CAN JUST WIN IN RENO; HAVEN’T DONE THAT IN A LONG TIME !!!!! WAY TO GO ‘BOWS ………….
Awesome, awesome win! Vander is so clutch. If everyone has a good game Saturday, I believe we can win. Chawan cut is right, carry that momentum all the way to Reno!
Or perhaps a disgruntled ex-UH basketball coach..
Guys just ignore his posts, don’t let his posts get under your skin thats what the dork wants. Ignore it and it will go away.
All the “attention” and replies is what it wants.
By the way awesome they were able to win with three of the teams top scorers only getting 7 points put together, If those three play up to their averages UH wins in reno!!
Web feeds work in a pinch but it’s too bad UH/OC16 can’t finagle a way to broadcast the Nevada game. If they do and the team wins, all the bandwagoners would jump on board and pack the Stanley next week.
Hawaiifan09 is either Jackson Wheeler or Portnoy
THAT 09 Comment is a Slam ! It insults Both at the same time (which is pretty good!)… Yet, Does anybody deserve that ? Even 09.
He’s the Comic Relief … i think he also represents All the Fearsome Fans — i have relatives who almost cover their eyes, or talk down the team during the game, grousing every turnover or mistake, looking for how Hawai’i is gonna lose again (All Sports) because they still have that small-town mentality …. maybe like 09 they’ll be talking ’em down (expressing their own inner fears and past ‘hurts’) even when the team is winning 70-90%+ (which IS what the Team is doing for several weeks)
i think Jackson & Jeff are being reflective and introspective, but don’t quite realize that there IS a /SLANT/ to the way “Facts” are presented — There are Always Two or More Sides and the “Optimistic Side” often is an ‘Of Course’ or ‘some think’ intro … although it Is Softening; to their plus side, both recognize the Rising WAC RPI…
BUT i Do Know they Both Care for UH and have given more Time & Effort than 8 or 9 out of Ten of Us (For Jackson, 99 out of 100, and the One – Gib – still only clocks in Two years versus 10-20 for Jackson)
… Last Night, in a nice Spin on Gary’s Post-Game show, Coach Jackson (Jeff, it is a ‘Title’, a Level of Awareness that you can only earn by doing, like Mr. President, Governor or Mayor…) noted he could foresee Hawai’i finishing in The Top Three of the WAC based on their recent improvement,
now also “On the Road” — Hawai’i withstood a “Barrage of Threes” 56% 2nd Half (5-9, esp. with the game on the line) and 67% (2 of 3) in O.T. and 48% overall for Fresno — When a Home Team fights back like that in a close game, and you still Beat ‘Em, That is a Tough Win …
Will Need that kind of Toughness And Finishing from ‘everyone on the court’ to Challenge and even Beat High-Performing Reno — like a UNLV-Plus Type of Performance…
For the Fans who were lamenting the late arrival of Blakes and shortage of High-Flyers, Garrett Jefferson besides playing “Jordan-esque” Defense also slammed a few (three or four?) home last night as part of his MVP Ten Points … i think reclaiming the Best Athlete Mantle (Joston?)…
Ripcurrent.. Care to share a webfeed link? Inquiring minds would like to know.. 🙂
i got the site but this retarded site wont let me post it for u….sorry
first row sports dot tv……….
Alright had to do it that way…but it worked!…most road games are streamed…free an no downloading anything…
Lono: I had the same problem posting as KdaP35.
For yesterday’s game, I used the same site that KdaP35 was able to post.
Sometimes a school’s Athletic Department website will also stream home games.
I’m not very well versed at this at all, though. If I don’t see info here on WI, then I start checking message boards.
I still think it’d be a great idea for UH/OC to broadcast the Nevada game live. People could watch while having their dinner and if the team won, it would really bolster interest in the program, maybe pack the arena.
Heck, if OC had their usual high-def broadcast, I’d even spring for PPV. I’d hope, however, that they’d offer a discount to season ticket holders like they do for UH Football away games.
Most of the posts on this site are so supportive, positive, constructive, and celebratory …. it’s a pleasure to read them. Thanks to Dayton, Wes, and crew for the fantastic coverage, and to all the players and coaches for their dedication and hard work. For a fan on the mainland, especially, Warrior Insider is endlessly informative & entertaining. Mahalo!
Thanks, Ripcurrent!
Lono: You’re welcome but thanks goes to KdaP35 for figuring out how to post yesterday’s link. I was going give up already. lol
i almost did myself too!….lol…i live in New York an this site is very informative AND entertaining!…
i feel the love..knew yall missed me..i am all ex-players and coaches