Warriors upset Pitt on Maui, 74-70
In what has already become the season of the unknown, the University of Hawai’i basketball team pulled off the unexpected in a 74-70 upset of national power Pitt on Friday night at the War Memorial Gym in Wailuku, Maui.
Isaac Fleming scored 15 points to lead a balanced and relentless Hawai’i attack. Mike Thomas added 12 points, Negus Webster-Chan and Garrett Nevels each scored 11, and Aaron Valdes contributed 10 points.
A raucous Maui crowd of 1,203 watched the Warriors improve to 4-1; Pitt, which was in the “others receiving votes” of the national polls, dropped to 2-1.
The game was a thriller, with the teams exchanging the lead several times in the second half.
The Warriors hit their first four shots of the game to race to a 9-4 lead, but the Panthers did not stay down for long. A 3-pointer by Chris Jones gave Pitt its first lead of the game at 12-11 with 15:25 remaining.
Moments later, the Panthers went on a 9-0 run to increase their lead to 23-13. Pitt had a 30-23 lead with seven minutes remaining in the half, but the Warriors then went on a 14-2 surge to take a 37-32 with 3:45 remaining. Nevels and Webster-Chan each scored five points and Thomas had four to account for all the points during the run.
Hawai’i eventually took a 40-36 lead at halftime, with Webster-Chan scoring 11 and Nevels 10. The Warriors shot 56.7 percent from the field in the first half.
The game stayed close in the second half, with the teams tying the score nine different times within the first 13 minutes.
Hawai’i went on a 10-2 surge to take control for good with a 65-60 lead with 5:43 remaining. Fleming capped the surge with a long 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired.
The Warriors are scheduled to depart Maui for Florida on Saturday afternoon. They will participate in the three-day Florida Gulf Coast Showcase on November 24-26. They will face San Francisco in the first round on November 24.
More details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.
(Game photo courtesy Brandon Flores)
And David reached into his pouch and took out a stone…
Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier! Down goes Pittsburg!
Hey Gibber…so worth the trip!!
Hawaii is so proud of you BOWZ!!!
Keep believing in yourselves!!!! You are making believers of us all!!!
Have a nice trip, but know that SF is going to be very, very tough to beat!!! WOW!!!!!
GO BOWZ
Sheeeeeeets
wow lsu lau !!
Great win !!
🙂
Warriors great heart and coaching!!
🙂
thanks Gib..
THANKS GIB !!
(Gib showed up at the game ! )
Wow I love this team resolve big win shame more people didn’t go
Step back from that line !! Hit those long threes !!
Great D, Great Offense. Only going to get better !!
Awesome win UHMBB, just saw the result.!!!
GO THE MIGHTY WARRIOR
Way to prove me wrong guys! If only we could have watched on TV. Awesome win either way, let’s GO BOWS!
Well, “the DAVIDs” did the job perfectly as “The Quadruple of Luck” directed.
Here are some stats might make this victry even more ONO (tasety)!
Coach JD as an expert described as The most interesting Coach in the World.
Been named “National coach of the year trice.
Actually competing/beating the UH players as ways to teach – led them to NCAA in 1994.
His program at Pitt ranked as top-five nationally, 10 NCAA in 11-yrs, as #1 seed twice…
Sold-out arena with thousands of fan on-standby.
Got 10-yr extention till 2023 with pay average 6mil from 4.2mil. (planned mid-50 retirement).
This is a monumental win for the 15Champs!
Tonganator:
yes these guys are Warriors !! Gib was at game very happy..sure that Akana was too!!
Isaac..reverse psychology..count UH MBB out..they going win bruddsh..bro,,
darn Oceanic they lookingdumb and dumber for not doing game even online ppv
real dumb
game great..if many more fans watched..more fans show up at SSC ..
sheesh!
Go Bows!!
🙂
A great, great win. These guys play with passion, a desire to win and they play hard through out the whole game. The Gib recruited some talented players.
Go Warriors!
Like I said pre season the cream will rise to the top.Basketball is a team sport play your role trust your coaches get your shots within the system and everything else will fall into place.
Make the extra pass,receive the rock in rythm and the shots will drop.
bigdaddy:
spoken like a good coach..team believing now..cream rising..
team will be your side east coast on monday!!
Where’s gib _ot good and a few others ?
Nevels had 9 rebounds, Fleming and all the team played great . Five in double figures, and Bobbitt with 7 pts, 5 assists, 2 steals, Jovanovic 8 pts. ;
Fleming 3 steals, 4 rebounds, 15 points.
Great win for the players, the coaches and the program. Congratulations! I’m glad to see everyone improving, and special props to Isaac “Fearless” Fleming for leading the way tonight.
This is the win they needed to show themselves and the rest of the world what they are capable of. I think Pit got surprised at how good this team is. But all us fans on Warrior Insider knew we had something special. And it starts with defense. That zone is really starting to pay dividends. Wonder if we would have focused on zone if Fotu and Reyes were playing. Doors close another opens. We have a young team that will only get better. Great bunch of athletes, great coaching, great team chemistry. That spells champions.
islandman its about team in our camp we dont play for box scores & stats in the DMV its called ROCKOUT.Takeover that was personal we Team Loaded Va. true too the game.
bigdaddy, you going to Florida or too far ?
gib_otgood, lemonade or kool aid ?
Is Jackson W going to laugh now ?
This team is doing well and we still have another piece to add. When Janks get eligible it will add another scorer into the lineup and more length into the zone.
Janks is not some clumsy kid who only in the use up fouls. He is quite agile and can shoot the ball. We have solid guards and wings. Janks will another dimension to this team…….a big man who also can shoot 3’s.
Believe AC Carter led team, their best defense? An awesome matchup zone..Benjy should stick with it..the guys quick enough get out harass 3 ball shooters and drop back protect paint
defense..zone or matchup..what a great coaching job by Benjy telling Rod not to gamle so much for steals..stay in front of man..make them shoot over top..Rod listened and ran UH MBB O and D down the stretch
it is team and win first..stats and self second..team keep grinding..amazing..high polnt game should’ve been win too..UH would have been 5-0..4-1…we will take any day!!
Now guys get good nite rest, and sat. Sunday..monday geev em!!
🙂
Whew. I tired. Great atmosphere. Maui fans No Ka Oi. It was soon loud on there.
Our defense confused Pitt all night. We were focused from warm ups.
Good thing boys going on road. I need to get my voice back. Props to the high school band. They were tight and played at the right times.
Good fun.
Go Bows
Runbow & islandman naw im not going back home to watch the games traveling this time of year is crazy.Thanksgiving is off the charts.
Pitt probably did take them a little lightly. When you think about Thomas and Jovanovich really being only the true big men, it is amazing what they accomplished. It’s their athleticism which also allows them to play tremendous defense that is doing the job. They can get fairly balanced scoring and Benjy’s decision to let the guards crash the boards has help the rebounding.
Fleming really looks good considering he’s only a freshman.
Go Bows.
What a awesome win for the Bows! Happy Happy Happy!
YEAH BABY !!!!!
GO BOWS…Now if only Norm can change his BS conservative “offensive” play calling we might have a chance vs UNLV
WAY TO GO BENJY !!!!!
can’t wait for the video!!!!