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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, February 10, 2002

La. Tech beats UH, 61-57

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

RUSTON, La. — You can't keep streaking without your legs.

Louisiana Tech’s Antonio Meeking beats UH’s Haim Shimonovich to the basket.

Associated Press

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team found that out yesterday in a 61-57 loss to Louisiana Tech.

Despite seeing its five-game winning streak come to an end, the Rainbow Warriors remained in first place in the Western Athletic Conference, although they now have company at the top. The 'Bows are 20-4 overall and 11-2 in the WAC.

Tulsa, which defeated Texas-El Paso last night, is also 11-2 in the conference. Louisiana Tech, in its inaugural season in the WAC, is 15-7 overall and alone in third place at 9-3.

"We got tired in the second half," said UH sophomore Carl English. "Our legs were giving out and our shots weren't falling. We're disappointed because we lost when we should have won."

Indeed, the 'Bows blew a 40-30 second-half lead by admittedly taking several ill-advised shots. Only a month ago, Hawai'i beat the Bulldogs, 81-61, in Honolulu.

"The biggest difference was we didn't execute our offense," said UH senior tri-captain Mindaugas Burneika. "We took quick shots after only one or two passes. It was OK at home when we made our (3-pointers) but today we didn't hit them."

The 'Bows made seven 3-pointers, but missed 15 for a .318 percentage. In the crucial second half, Hawai'i was 3-of-14 from 3-point range.

UH head coach Riley Wallace chastised his team for its impatience on offense, but was also quick to credit an aggressive man-to-man defense applied by Louisiana Tech.

"We weren't patient in our offense due to their defense," Wallace said. "They got into us and wouldn't let us have our standing 3s. When they pressure you like that, you have to set your picks and get deeper into the offense. You'll get the same open shots, it'll just take a little more time. We never showed that patience."

Not a single UH player converted better than 50 percent from the field. As a team, the 'Bows shot 38 percent (21-of-56), including 36 percent in the second half (11-of-31).

Predrag Savovic scored a game-high 22 points for Hawai'i, but was just 7-of-18 from the field, including 3-of-9 on 3-point shots. English added 18 points and six rebounds.

Burneika and Mike McIntyre, who have been a brilliant combination off the bench all season, scored just three points each.

But according to Wallace, the most telling statistic was UH's season-low seven assists. It was the first time this season that Hawai'i did not reach double-figures in that category.

"We live on our passing," Wallace said. "So that shows you right there what kind of game it was for us. Everybody was trying to do their own thing."

The strategy worked in the first half, as Hawai'i was 4-of-8 from 3-point range while taking a 29-24 lead at intermission. The 'Bows opened the second half with an 11-6 run to push their lead to 40-30 with 14:40 remaining.

After that, the biggest Bulldogs became bullies in the low post. Zach Johnson, a 6-foot-10, 245-pound junior, and Antonio Meeking, a 6-8, 245-pound junior, combined to score nine points during an 11-0 surge that put Louisiana Tech ahead, 41-40.

Johnson finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds; Meeking had 10 points and six rebounds. In the second half, they combined for 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and 10 rebounds.

"Zach Johnson was the player of the game, if I had to pick one," Louisiana Tech head coach Keith Richard said. "With us down 10, he really ignited us."

UH power forward Phil Martin said: "Those were big dudes. All they had to do was drop their butts down and it was hard to move them. But if we had better rotations, we would have been OK. There were times in the game when we stopped them, but they hurt us in that one stretch."

A 3-pointer by Marco Cole — the only 3 the Bulldogs made all game — gave them a 51-45 lead with 3:30 remaining.

Trailing 55-52 with a little more than one minute remaining, UH had possession of the ball. However, Savovic missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

"Bad shot," was how Wallace described it. "We had time and we wanted him shooting it, obviously. But he rushed it, and that was the way things were all game."

The Bulldogs converted 6-of-6 free throws after that to clinch the victory and gain redemption after last month's loss at Hawai'i, which was their worst of the season.

"We wanted to make them make plays and not just shoot 3s," said guard Gerrod Henderson, who led the Bulldogs with 20 points. "The game plan was to come out and be tough-minded and I think we were."

In the final 14 minutes of the game, the Bulldogs outscored Hawai'i, 31-17. During that stretch, UH was 2-of-13 from 3-point range.

"We tried to shoot ourselves out of a hole and couldn't do it," Martin said. "Looking back, we probably should have worked the ball inside more. But it's hard because our shooting has been there for us all year."

Louisiana Tech, the WAC's top rebounding team, also outrebounded the 'Bows 40-31, including 21-14 in the second half.

"We're going to start over from scratch and get after it," Wallace said. "These guys will bounce back and win. I'm confident of that because that's the way they've been all year."

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