'Bows rebound to beat Badgers 60-57; now at 4-1

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

HILO — Big Island? Big Ten?

UH's Carl English lets everyone know his 3-pointer is good. Associated Press

Proving its ability to learn — and recover — quickly, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team captured third place in the Big Island Invitational with a 60-57 victory over Wisconsin yesterday.

An afternoon crowd of 312 at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium watched the Rainbow Warriors improve to 4-1 overall by winning two of three games in their first-ever appearance in Hilo.

"We lost a close one last night and we win a close one today," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "You hope that's a sign that we're maturing and growing up."

On Saturday, the 'Bows blew a 16-point second-half lead in a 61-59 semifinal loss to Colorado State. Yesterday, UH made the crucial plays in the closing minutes that it failed to do against the Rams.

"I assume pride took over," Wallace said. "I know my players. I know they have a lot of heart. I'm just happy they responded."

They responded by overcoming a 45-41 deficit in the game's final seven minutes, and then holding off a last-minute charge by the Badgers. Sophomores Carl English and Phil Martin combined to score 13 of Hawai'i's final 17 points.

"It was just a matter of digging down deep and staying energized," Martin said. "This was a big-time win for us. (Wisconsin) is in a great conference and they always go to the (NCAA) Tournament. It's big for our team."

English's baseline drive past two defenders and subsequent layup gave the 'Bows a 55-51 lead with 47 seconds remaining. On UH's next possession, English threw a half-court pass to Mark Campbell, who was alone under the basket for a layup that made it 57-53 with 20 seconds left.

English and Martin then combined to make three of four free throws in the final 12 seconds to seal the victory.

"We felt we should have been in the championship," said English, a 6-foot-5 guard from Canada. "The pain we were feeling last night, we carried it over to today and we didn't want to feel like that anymore."

English, chastised by Wallace for his defensive effort against Colorado State, scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He also held Wisconsin's leading scorer, freshman Devin Harris, without a point in the second half.

"My defense sucked all tournament," English said. "I made it a point to pick it up."

He was also the only Hawai'i player to pick up an all-tournament trophy.

Martin made it a point simply to score a point. He did not score or grab a rebound in the loss to Colorado State.

"I felt like I let the team down yesterday," said the 6-foot-8 Martin, who is also from Canada. "I needed to apologize somehow, and I guess stepping it up today was a pretty good apology."

Indeed, he finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, and six rebounds. "He was a big-time factor for us," Wallace said.

Senior forward Mindaugas Burneika was the only other 'Bow in double-figures, with 11.

The game featured 11 lead changes, and neither team led by more than four points in the second half.

"It was an even matchup," Wallace said. "They took away some of our stuff, but we took away some of theirs."

English scored all 10 points during a 10-1 surge late in the first half that put the 'Bows ahead, 32-25, with 1:19 remaining. Harris responded with six points in the final 70 seconds of the half to cut the lead to 32-30 at intermission.

Harris, the state of Wisconsin's "Mr. Basketball" as a high school senior last season, scored all 15 of his points in the first half on 4-of-7 shooting. After intermission, he was 0-for-5, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range.

"We don't just look for Devin to score," Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan said. "We look for everybody to score."

However, only one other Badger finished in double-figures, Travon Davis with 10.

Although Wisconsin dropped to 1-3, Wallace said: "It's always a good win. Even if they don't have a good season, it's Big Ten (conference) talent."

• • •

• • •

NOTES: The All-Tournament team was comprised of: MVP Brian Greene (Colorado State), Carl English (Hawai'i), Scott Prather (Hawai'i-Hilo), Jermaine Boyette (Weber State), Andy Birley (Colorado State) and Ronald Dupree (LSU). ... As they have all season, the 'Bows played without star guard Predrag Savovic, and reserve forwards Luc-Arthur Vebobe and Tony Akpan. All three are still under NCAA investigation, and have yet to hear a ruling on their eligibility. "4-1 is a pretty good start with Savo and the other guys on the bench," said English. "The fact that we're winning these games without them means we'll be that much stronger with them back." ... To be sure, Hawai'i will not have much time to recover. The 'Bows are scheduled to play Northwestern State tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

• Hawai'i-Hilo 87, S. Carolina St. 69: Senior guard Scott Prather scored 37 points as Division II Hawai'i-Hilo (3-2) beat South Carolina State (0-4) for seventh place and snapped a 23-game losing streak in its tournament.

Prather was 14-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-8 from 3-point range. He also had seven assists and four rebounds.

"Last night I didn't come through so today I wanted the ball," said Prather, who had a crucial late turnover against LSU. "I didn't sleep last night, it was killing me. These games show we can play with some of the better teams in the country. This feels so good."

Andre Rivera led South Carolina State with 26 points.

• Weber St. 72, Colorado St. 69: Jermaine Boyette scored 22 points as Weber State (4-1) defeated Colorado State (4-1) in the championship game.

Brian Greene had 16 points and nine rebounds for Colorado State.

• LSU 84, Mercer 54: Torris Bright had 18 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists as LSU (4-1) beat Mercer (1-4) for fifth place.