Hawai'i, Butler reach Rainbow Classic final
| • | Miller's 3-pointer sinks Western Kentucky, 63-60 |
| • | Buzzer-beater lifts Chicago State |
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
Classes may not be in session right now, but the University of Hawai'i still handed out an English lesson to Tennessee Tech last night.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
Led by Carl English's season-high 26 points, the Rainbow Warriors defeated the Golden Eagles, 74-61, in the semifinals of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.
Hawai'i's Carl English scored 26 points in a 74-61 victory over Tennessee Tech in the semifinals of the Rainbow Classic. Hawai'i will play Butler in tonight's final.
A crowd of 5,421 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows advance to the championship of the eight-team tournament for the fourth consecutive year. It was also UH's 18th consecutive home victory, eight shy of the school record.
Hawai'i, which improved to 6-1 with its fourth consecutive victory, will face undefeated Butler (10-0) for the Rainbow Classic championship tonight at 7:30. Tennessee Tech, which dropped to 6-5, will play Western Kentucky for third place at 5 p.m.
"We're an unselfish team, we're fun to watch," said English, a 6-foot-5 junior guard. "We just want to hit the open man and any one of us can step up and hit the shot."
Last night, it was mostly English. He shot 8-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. He also sank his first five shots of the game in the opening five minutes, a stretch that UH head coach Riley Wallace said "probably established the game."
Indeed, English scored 13 points in the first five minutes to help UH establish a 17-4 lead. The 'Bows would never lose that lead, although the Golden Eagles made the game much closer than the final score indicated.
"I came out fired up," English said. "They didn't play me on that double-pick (play) and that's my bread-and-butter.
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"I hit that first one and got a little confidence and took off from there."
Hawai'i's Phil Martin puts up a shot over Tennessee Tech's Damien Kinloch. Martin scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds against Tennessee Tech.
It also spread to his teammates.
Most notable, junior forward Phil Martin also had his season-high with 19 points. He shot 8-of-14 from the field and also grabbed six rebounds. Wallace also credited Martin for his defensive effort in the low post during the crucial second half.
"I was feeding off of Carl," Martin said. "He was on fire, and that's the kind of stuff we need to get us going."
English had 14 points in the first half as Hawai'i took a 34-27 lead into halftime.
He added four more points in the opening three minutes of the second half, when the Rainbows increased their lead to a seemingly comfortable 42-29 with 17:11 remaining.
"Says a lot about (Tennessee Tech)," Wallace said. "Because they could have folded early."
Consolation bracket: Semifinals: • Today's schedule: Alcorn State vs. Texas-Pan American, 11 a.m.; Bradley vs. Chicago State, 1:30 p.m.; Tennessee Tech vs. Western Kentucky, 5 p.m.; Hawai'i vs. Butler, 7:30 p.m. • Where: Stan Sheriff Center • Tickets: $16 lower level and $12 upper level for today's final two games; $5 for today's first two games. Parking is $3.
Instead, the Golden Eagles cut the UH lead to two twice in the second half, the last time at 58-56 with 4:17 remaining.
• Yesterday's Results:
Bradley 95, Alcorn State 68
Chicago State 57, Texas-Pan American 54
Butler 63, Western Kentucky 60
Hawai'i 74, Tennessee Tech 61
"We hung in there and tried to change things up on them," Tennessee Tech head coach Mike Sutton said. "We wanted to make them make plays, and they did. It was a ball game we certainly had a chance to win, but Hawai'i just made some plays, particularly down the stretch."
The first big play came from Michael Kuebler — a 3-pointer that pushed the UH lead up to 63-57 with 3:25 remaining.
The second came from Martin — a power move to the rim that resulted in a basket plus a foul. He made the ensuing free throw to give UH a 66-59 lead.
Then in the final minute, Hawai'i's latest hero, Nkeruwem "Tony" Akpan, took over. He scored six of his 12 points in the last 51 seconds, including a clutch jump shot from 15 feet out as the shot clock buzzer sounded.
"I'm back there begging for the ball and we go to Tony," English said. "That shows we have confidence in each other."
Akpan, a 6-8 sophomore forward, also had eight rebounds. In UH's two Rainbow Classic victories, he has 37 points and 16 rebounds off the bench.
"I brought my intensity and everybody woke up," Akpan said. "And I give thanks to God I hit the shots."
Wallace also gave thanks to his senior point guard and captain, Mark Campbell, who finished with five points and eight assists with just one turnover.
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"I can't say enough about him," Wallace said. "Everybody wants to know why he doesn't shoot more. Well that's because he knows his role and he knows how to run our team."
Hawai'i coach Riley Wallace yells out instructions to his players during the semifinal game against Tennessee Tech. Wallace and the Rainbows will be going for their second straight Rainbow Classic title tonight.
Four Tennessee Tech players finished in double-figures: Antwoyn Jones (14), Brent Jolly (12), Cameron Crisp (12) and Damien Kinloch (10). Kinloch also had seven rebounds as the Golden Eagles out-rebounded the 'Bows, 30-29.
Sutton was quick to point out the disparity in free throws. Hawai'i was 21-of-27, while the Golden Eagles were 10-of-14.
The 'Bows may need an even better effort tonight against a Butler team that leads NCAA Division I in scoring defense, allowing slightly more than 50 points per game.
English described the Bulldogs as "like a Princeton-type team."
Wallace added: "Butler will be the best team we've played of anybody. They should be in the top 25, no question about it."
