Warrior Insider

The University of Hawai’i basketball team dominated in nearly all phases of the game of an 89-66 victory over Hawai’i-Hilo on Saturday night at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Warriors improved to 2-0, with both wins over NCAA Division II programs from within the state of Hawai’i (they beat Hawai’i Pacific last week). The game was an exhibition for UH-Hilo, and will not count toward its season record.

Co-captains Justin Webster and Casdon Jardine led the balanced attack that featured 13 different players registering points. Webster scored a team-high 15 in just 22 minutes of action; Jardine registered a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

James Jean-Marie added 12 points and five rebounds, and Justin Hemsley scored 10.

In addition to dominating scoreboard, the Warriors also ruled the backboards, finishing with a 53-28 rebounding advantage.

Hawai’i jumped to a 7-2 lead to open the game, and stayed in front for the entire first half. The Warriors couldn’t quite pull away in the first 20 minutes, and took a 37-27 lead at intermission. The 10-point margin was the largest of the first half, and came via a putback by Mate Colina just before the halftime buzzer.

The Warriors relied on a balanced attack in the first half, with Junior Madut scoring eight points and Webster adding seven. Jardine grabbed seven rebounds in the first half, leading Hawai’i to a 27-18 advantage on the boards.

The Warriors opened the second half with a 21-8 surge in the first five minutes to increase their lead to 58-35.

The Vulcans never got closer than 15 points after that.

The Warriors are next scheduled to open the Big West Conference regular season on December 27 and 28, when they host Cal Poly.

More details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.