Warrior Insider

As far as first impressions go, the inaugural Patty Mills North Shore Classic was an unforgettable experience for the University of Hawai’i basketball team. Yes, it helped that the Rainbow Warriors took home the championship trophy of the four-team tournament.

Hawai’i defeated Texas State, 72-65, in the tournament title game played before an announced crowd of 3,428 at the Cannon Activities Center on the campus of Brigham Young-Hawai’i in La’ie, O’ahu.

The Warriors improved to 5-1, including 3-0 in the Cannon Activities Center this season. The Bobcats – who are the two-time defending regular-season champion of the Sun Belt Conference – dropped to 4-3.

The last time the Hawai’i basketball program raised a tournament championship trophy was the 2017 Outrigger Rainbow Classic

“Pleased with how special this event has been in so many ways, and obviously finishing up with how this group performed on the floor,” Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot said.

Junior guard Noel Coleman scored 21 points, including 15 in the crucial second half, to lead the Warriors. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

“It wouldn’t even be possible without my teammates,” Coleman said. “They’re the ones that set me up to be in position that I was today … they do a great job, which makes me do a good job.”

Junior forward/center Bernardo da Silva added 14 points and seven rebounds, and was also named to the All-Tournament team. Freshman forward Harry Rouhliadeff provided a significant spark off the bench with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, and junior point guard JoVon McClanahan contributed 10 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Less than two weeks ago, the Warriors lost in overtime to Yale in the championship game of the Outrigger Rainbow Classic.  “Those experiences have helped us,” Ganot said. “We were better in a close game.”

Coleman added: “I think it was a great learning experience for us, against Yale … I think this game carried on and we knew what to do in those situations.”

The Warriors appeared to be in control early, taking an 11-point lead in the first half, but the Bobcats clawed back to turn it into a back-and-forth contest in the second half.

Hawai’i had a 22-11 lead with 8:46 remaining in the first half after a layup by Rouhliadeff. The Bobcats closed the half with a 9-1 run, with Mason Harrell scoring on a driving layup just before the halftime horn to give Texas State a 29-28 advantage at intermission.

“From my point of view we started off a little slow,” Rouhliadeff said. “They were sort of coming at us when we should have been more attacking. At least we were able to hold off and push back a little back. Everyone did a good job with that.”

The Warriors shot a respectable 45 percent (9 for 20) from the field in the first half, but connected on only 5 of 10 free throws (50 percent).

The game stayed close in the second half, with the teams exchanging the lead five times. Coleman broke a 40-40 tie with a 3-pointer with 11:47 remaining. That was the beginning of a six-minute stretch that saw Coleman account for nine points and two assists to give the Warriors a 57-52 lead.

“Honestly, I just wanted to win,” said Coleman, who recorded the 10^th 20-plus point game of his UH career, including three this season. “I was thinking about the Yale game, and how my shooting was that game and I couldn’t let that happen again.”

The Warriors seized control for good when McClanahan found da Silva under the basket for a dunk as the shot clock expired to give Hawai’i a 59-52 lead with 5:06 remaining.

Samuta Avea shot 0 for 4 from the field, but went 8 for 8 on free throws for the Warriors. He made four free throws in the closing seconds to help secure the victory.

The Warriors finished the game at 51.1 percent from the field (23 for 45) and 64.5 percent on free throws (20 for 31).

Mason Harrell led Texas State with 23 points, and Brandon Davis added 12 points and seven rebounds.

In Saturday’s game for third place, Southern Utah defeated Sacramento State, 91-87 in double overtime. The length of that game prompted the championship game to start 45 minutes later than scheduled.

Hawai’i will return to the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Wednesday, when it will host Texas A&M-Commerce in a non-conference game.

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Patty Mills North Shore Classic
Championship: Hawai’i 72, Texas State 65
Third Place: Southern Utah 91, Sacramento State 87

All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player: Noel Coleman (Hawai’i)
Bernardo da Silva (Hawai’i)
Mason Harrell (Texas State)
Brandon Davis (Texas State)
Tevian Jones (Southern Utah)
Zach Chappell (Sacramento State)