By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
EL PASO, Texas — Baby psychological steps helped the Hawai‘i men’s basketball team earn its first road victory on Thursday.
Now, the Rainbows must walk on their own.
One day after finding its way in San Jose, the Rainbows were making plans to lasso Texas-El Paso without the aid of their two psychologists.
"They couldn’t make the trip," coach Riley Wallace said. "But we’ll be OK. I think we’ve built that positive mental outlook. That win (over San Jose State) did a lot for us."
The Rainbows will play their final regular-season game today at UTEP. A sellout crowd of more than 12,000 is expected to attend the game at the Don Haskins Center, and a regional audience on Fox Sports Southwest will be watching on television.
But for all that is on the line — each team has a shot at finishing third in the conference with a victory — perhaps nothing matters more to Hawai‘i than stopping the elusive Miners.
UTEP defeated the Rainbows, 79-71, last month at the Stan Sheriff Center, becoming the only WAC team to win a game in Honolulu this season.
"We beat everybody except these guys," said center Troy Ostler. "But we’re a different team now than we were then. Our offense is better, our defense is better. Hopefully, it’ll be a better outcome, too."
With a four-game winning streak, Hawai‘i is the hottest team in the conference. Most significant among those victories was Thursday’s 71-61 win at San Jose State that snapped a 12-game road losing streak.
"Almost right after the game, you could see in each other’s faces how different we were feeling," Ostler said. "It was unbelievable. I think we’re definitely a more confident team now."
To be sure, the Rainbows went through a crisp two-hour practice yesterday. Fitting with their newfound positive outlook, they joined hands in a "circle of trust" at the conclusion of practice.
"I think that win (over San Jose State) made them realize what they’re capable of," Wallace said. "I think they’re more focused on going out and winning games rather than worrying about losing on the road."
Still, the Miners will present quite a challenge. For starters, UTEP is 14-2 this season in the Don Haskins Center, including 6-1 in the WAC. They have already secured a 20-win season, and a victory today would assure them the No. 3 seed for next week’s WAC Tournament at Tulsa, Okla.
Hawai‘i can take the No. 3 seed with a victory over UTEP combined with a Southern Methodist win over Texas Christian.
"We know what this game means," Wallace said. "If we can finish as high as third place, that’s motivation enough."
A loss could drop the Rainbows to either the fifth or sixth spot.
In any case, the Hawai‘i team that will take the court today is drastically different from the one that lost to UTEP on Jan. 11. Most notable, Ostler will be in the starting lineup. He missed the last game against the Miners because of a sprained ankle.
It is especially significant because he will likely be matched against UTEP’s 6-foot-10 forward Brandon Wolfram, who leads the WAC with 22.6 points per game.
"I take it as a challenge," Ostler said. "If you want to be a star in this league, you have to try and shut down other stars."
Wolfram scored 28 points in the victory over the Rainbows. He is already UTEP’s all-time leading scorer, and will be honored in a ceremony after playing his final home game today.
"You have to figure he’ll get his (points)," Wallace said. "You just want to make him work for it and try to shut down the others."
As if all that wasn’t enough, UTEP coach Jason Rabedeaux is urging fans to arrive en masse today so the Miners can win the WAC’s attendance title this season. They will need a crowd of 12,145 to surpass Fresno State.
"They can get very rowdy; very personal," Wallace said. "But who knows? That might get us more fired up."
Probable starters
Hawai‘i Rainbows (14-12, 8-7)
Pos.-Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pts. Reb.
G-Mike McIntyre 6-3 205 Jr. 6.8 1.3
G-Predrag Savovic 6-6 225 Jr. 17.7 4.8
F-Nerijus Puida 6-5 195 Sr. 9.1 5.8
F-Phil Martin 6-7 200 Fr. 9.2 4.0
C-Troy Ostler 6-10 215 Sr. 15.7 6.3
NOTES: Hawai‘i has won four consecutive games, matching its longest winning streak of the season. ... The Rainbows have lost their last eight games in El Paso. The last time they won at UTEP was on Feb. 24, 1990. ... The Miners defeated the Rainbows, 79-71, at the Stan Sheriff Center on Jan. 11. UTEP is the only WAC team to win in Honolulu this season. ... Ostler did not play in the last UTEP game because of a sprained left ankle. In two games against the Miners last season, Ostler had 31 points and 19 rebounds. Over two seasons, he has 81 blocked shots, and needs five to move into third place on UH’s all-time list. ... Savovic scored a career-high 31 points in the last UTEP game. He has scored in double-figures in 24 of 26 games this season, and currently ranks third in the WAC in scoring. ... The Rainbows are 0-5 this season in games televised by Fox Sports Net. All of those games were on the road.
Texas-El Paso Miners (20-7, 9-6)
Pos.-Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pts. Reb.
G-Eugene Costello 5-10 165 Jr. 15.1 3.7
G-Parker Vandivort 6-2 175 Sr. 1.3 0.3
F-Roy Smallwood 6-6 210 So. 10.8 6.0
F-Brandon Wolfram 6-9 240 Sr. 22.6 7.5
C-Brian Stewart 6-10 250 Jr. 11.4 6.6
NOTES: UTEP is 14-2 at the Don Haskins Center this season, including 6-1 in WAC games. ... A victory would secure third place in the WAC for UTEP. ... The Miners have won 20 games in a season for the 18th time, but the first since 1995. ... Wolfram scored 36 points in UTEP’s 99-91 loss at Texas Christian on Thursday. In the process, he became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,727 points over four seasons. He scored 28 in the victory over Hawai‘i last month. He currently ranks in the top five in the WAC in scoring (first at 22.6), rebounding (fifth at 7.5), field goal percentage (second at .600) and free throw percentage (fourth at .828). ... The Miners lead the WAC in field goal percentage (.493) and free throw percentage (.752).
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