Warrior Insider

Eddie Stansberry scored 23 points with five rebounds and four assists and Justin Webster added 15 points today to help Hawai’i race past visiting Samford, 94-73, in nonconference men’s basketball action.

A sparse Sunday afternoon crowd of about 2,900 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Dawson Carper add 14 points and five boards and Samuta Avea 12 points and seven boards as the Warriors improved to 7-3 heading into this next week’s Diamond Head Classic. Samford, based in Birmingham, Ala. and representing the Southern Conference, fell to 6-6.

UH came out firing and rained five 3-pointers in the first eight minutes in dashing out to a 26-7 lead. The Bulldogs clawed back, however, and eventually closed it to 38-34 on Josh Sharkey’s driving layup with 2:49 remaining in the first half. The Warriors later ended the half with a 7-0 run to take a 47-36 lead into the locker room.

Hawaii then opened the second half with a 10-0 run to push ahead, 57-36, after Drew Buggs’ 3-pointer from the right corner, and Samford could not get closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Starkey, a 5-foot-10 quicksilver point guard, led the Bulldogs with 21 points and five assists, and Brandon Austin added 15 points.