Rainbows topple Georgia for Rainbow Classic title

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Stafff Writer

Proving that defense really does win championships, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team defeated Georgia, 54-44, in the championship game of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic last night.

Hawai'i guard Carl English showed off the championship visor after the Rainbows defeated Georgia to capture the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic title last night. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I am very, very happy for this team," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "This might not be the most talented team we've had at UH, but they work hard and they do all the right things."

Last night, the 'Bows worked hardest on an in-your-face defense that stymied the Bulldogs. Georgia shot a season-low 29 percent (17-of-58), including a paltry 19 percent (6-of-31) in the decisive second half.

"Let's give credit where credit is due," Georgia head coach Jim Harrick said. "Hawai'i came out with that defense and completely shut us down."

In its three Rainbow Classic victories, Hawai'i held its opponents to a combined 36 percent field goal percentage and an average of 56 points per game.

"Offensively, we didn't play great," UH center Haim Shimonovich said. "But one word: Defense."

Shimonovich, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, was the focal point of the effort. He scored only six points last night, but grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked two shots. He also held Georgia's 6-8 center, Steve Thomas, to one point on 0-of-7 shooting from the field.

•	• Championship game Hawai'i 54, Georgia 44 • Third place Iona 57, Miami (Ohio) 51 • Fifth place Boston College 67, Holy Cross 57 • Seventh place Arkansas State 77, Portland 74 • All-Tournament Team Alex Shorts, Miami (Ohio) Jason Jennings, Ark. St. Troy Bell, Boston College Predrag Savovic, Hawai'i Ezra Williams, Georgia Haim Shimonovich, Hawai'i (MVP)

"I'm glad the people who voted understood his importance to us," Wallace said. "The way he clogs that middle and blocks shots and grabs rebounds is so important. Sometimes that's overlooked in favor of jump shots."

Not to be overlooked, senior guard Predrag Savovic scored a game-high 19 points, and also made Rainbow Classic history by being named to the all-tournament team for the third consecutive year.

Savovic scored 11 points during the decisive second half, when the 'Bows rallied from a four-point halftime deficit. Sophomore forward Phil Martin provided 12 of his 13 points and eight of his game-high 13 rebounds in the second half.

"Intensity," Wallace said in describing UH's second-half rally. "We made sure to pressure them the whole way. I think a key to the game was that we kept pressure on them."

Hawai'i raced to a 14-11 lead in the first nine minutes of the game. But it would prove to be short-lived as the Bulldogs responded with a 9-0 run to take a 20-14 lead with 8:12 remaining in the half.

The 'Bows managed to catch Georgia late in the first half, thanks in part to a questionable technical foul assessed against Bulldog forward Jonas Hayes. Savovic made one of two free throws after the foul to tie the score at 24. Hayes was called for throwing his elbow at Savovic, but television replays showed the contact to be inadvertent.

"It was a pretty physical game," Martin said. "There was a lot of cheap stuff going on underneath that the refs didn't see."

Only 31 fouls were called in the game — 17 on Georgia — compared to 48 in UH's semifinal victory over Iona on Friday.

"Each game, you have to adjust to the refs," UH point guard Mark Campbell said. "But as long as you play hard, it doesn't matter."

Hawai'i proved that by opening the second half with a 12-1 run that turned a 28-24 halftime deficit into a 36-29 lead it would not lose the rest of the way.

"I think we just wanted it more," Campbell said. "We were on our home court, the crowd was great, we knew we had to do it."

The second-half surge came despite Shimonovich picking up his third and fourth fouls during that early stretch. In his absence, Martin became a low-post presence, scoring 10 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half, including two powerful dunks.

"That's the challenge," said Martin, who recorded two statistical double-doubles in the Rainbow Classic. "When help is needed, you gotta do what you gotta do to pick up the slack."

Hawai'i held a 40-33 lead with 7:16 remaining in the game, but Georgia managed to cut it to two several times down the stretch. With UH holding a 43-41 lead, Savovic drained a crucial 3-pointer with 2:33 remaining to put the 'Bows in control. Georgia never got closer than four after that.

Hawai'i shot just 37 percent from the field (21-of-57), but out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 43-39.

Ezra Williams, who also made the all-tournament team, led Georgia with 12 points. The Bulldogs, playing their fifth game in eight days, also committed 17 turnovers to Hawai'i's 14.

"I felt like we played with heavy legs in the second half and you could see it because our shots kept coming up short," Harrick said. "We had good looks, the shots just weren't falling. Some of that is us, but a lot of it was Hawai'i playing good, solid defense."

Hawai'i is next scheduled to open the Western Athletic Conference season with a home game against Fresno State on Thursday.