Warriors run away from UC Riverside, 73-52
The University of Hawai’i basketball team relied on balanced scoring and relentless defense in a 73-52 victory over UC Riverside on Thursday night.
A crowd of 5,713 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Warriors improved to 17-9 overall and 5-5 in the Big West Conference by avenging a loss at UC Riverside last month. The Warriors are also an amazing 9-0 this season following a loss. The Highlanders dropped to 11-13 and 4-6.
Freshman Isaac Fleming led the offense with 15 points, including 10 during a decisive first half. Stefan Jankovic added 12, and was followed by Stefan Jovanovic with nine and Negus Webster-Chan with eight.
The Warriors held the Highlanders to 26.9 percent field goal shooting, including 16.7 percent (3 for 18) from 3-point range.
Roderick Bobbitt missed the week of practices leading up to the game, but still started and took all of 10 seconds to make an impact. After UCR won the opening tip, Bobbitt made a steal and then lobbed a pass to Aaron Valdes for an alley-oop dunk.
Bobbitt finished with six points, four assists and four steals – giving him 85 steals for the season, which breaks the previous UH single-season record of 84 set by Tom Henderson in the 1972-73 season.
The Highlanders took an early 8-4 lead, but it was all Warriors after that. Fleming scored nine points during a 17-0 run that gave Hawai’i a 27-10 lead with 8:16 remaining in the first half.
The Warriors eventually took a 42-28 lead at intermission, as the Highlanders managed to shoot just 6 for 22 (27.3 percent) from the field.
Hawai’i stayed comfortably in front the entire second half, as the Highlanders never got closer than 12.
The Warriors will play another Big West Conference home game on Saturday, when they host Cal State Fullerton.
More details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.
Great win Benjy and the Bowz!!
Guarantees winning season
Hawaii mbb fans so very proud…and Benjy I shed many tears of joy for you and your guys!!
Happy for WBB too…however very special uh mbb
strength through adversity
And…you guys can win 3 in anaheim
just keep on grtting better in execution on O and D half cort sets
Go Benjy and the Bows!!
Go get 2 game plus winning streak started against fullerton
Hey..many thought uh mbb with these guys and coac not win 10 games all season?
Well they won more..and still hungry!!
Classy coach Mr. Taylor!!
🙂
Hey…Benjy and bows…all they doing trying to win games!!
Very proud!!
🙂
Hearing from The Neighbors…
For WI.com bloggers, supporters, we kinda know what we think…
Most Talented Team in a while… YOUNG but Already Producing…
Improving… But Still Losing games they “should win”…
Cant WIN Three in a Row, Yet…
Couple of Things “Heard from The Crowd”
1) From a Couple of Old-Timers
“These Guys — WIN or Lose — Always Exciting!”
i would ADD Always IN The Game —
Even in their Worst Losses, they had double-digit second-half leads…
There are Very Few UH Men’s Teams that were good enough to “Always show up…”
Flat Days, Let-Down Days, FLU-Weeks, Long Road Trips, Cold-Shooting days…
Always Good for 30 or 35…often 40…
With IMPROVING Focus, Fewer Lapses, Fewer Errors,
CAN Eliminate v Some “Of the Ones that were getting away…”
2) From a Young (College, 20, 30-Something) Fan:
On Gary’s Post-Game: “I Think for UH Athletics, This Men’s basketball team is the BEST Thing since Colt Brennan’s Football Teams” … High Heismann-Quality Praise…Bobbitt No.1 In Steals, Fleming #2 in Techs…Team Nine-Deep..
[BTW, FTR, i think The Current UHMVB Team that on Successive Weeks knocked OFF THREE Different #3-Nationally Ranked Teams, Then Took the #2 Team to Back-to-Back Five Game Matches, Shoulda Won BOTH instead of split
is probably OUR Top Team since 2007…]
—————–
Just Recruiting In General – (NO Insider Scoops):
GLAD TO SEE HC Position Advertised…
Means WE CAN Name the HC In Time TO SIGN Recruits
IF BJ & Bley-Vroman “Hurry”…
AND BT & Q CAN PROVE They Can BIG-TIME Recruit…BY…
1) “Replacing” G-Money / Further Upgrading The Guards…
On Subsequent Years GOT: Valde’s, Garrett, Quincy, Negus, Bobbitt and Fleming…i would think “Better Than” 50-50 Chance of Getting ONE MORE G-Quality or Better Guard to Backfill THE Void…
2) AND Signing TWO BIGS HS and/or JC should Solidify The Front Line with 5-10 More Physical Fouls and Better Boards And Power Scoring (With Free Throws)…Maybe An All-Conference Quality Front-Liner (AGAIN…V, S, F, Three In A Row…) to Complement MT & The Stefans…
…And to ADD Such Quality with “More” similar (to current team) unselfish Non-Me-Counting-Stats Qualities…
————-
GO ‘BOWS!
18 and Counting…
FIRST Back-to-Back Conference WINS…
AND On To Meet or BEAT G-Best 20W-Season…
Might ONLY Be Wishful Thinking BUT The MATH Works,,,
I “Figured” THIS TEAM That Hasn’t (YET) Won a THREE-GAME Tourney OR B2B Conference Games…
MIGHT Be Closer Than My Criticism to Winning Three…
THEY DON’T Lose Back-to-Back…9-0!!
SO Every Other Game… IS AN OPPORTUNITY
TO WIN ONE — INSTEAD OF LOSING
SWITCH ANY / EVERY LOSS
And We Have a THREE-Game WINNING STREAK…
GO ‘BOWS!
eagle……….Very Special group of young men, Riders of the Storm, just want to play ball, win games, and have fun. I haven’t seen 11 guys on active roster, same effort, support One Ohana, Win before self, and reflection of Coach Benjy Taylor..very refreshing.
Very sure , to a man, they want to win more that 18 games, hey 18, 19 , 20….etc.
And dreams can come true, NCAA invite dreams in Anaheim..
team keep working
The everyman, and woman, all walks of life, even in store, or doctors office, someone will mention about BB team.. which is great.. reminds me of Fab Five time and Henderson years.. AC, Alika teams.. and later SAVO / English teams..
However, This group special… those other teams, of different era, they did not have to weather the stormy times.. so focused group, with good coaching staff. and support from their families, and really . who knows.. probably half the state viewing MBB games !!
Go Bows.. get that 18th win.. and go out and try to get some more.. You guys is Hungry !!