Warriors spank Spartans

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Payback was a blitz for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team last night.

Hawai'i's Mark Campbell has San Jose State's Ryan Davis covered as he applies defensive pressure in the first half. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

A crowd of 7,676 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows avenge a loss to the Spartans earlier this season. More important, UH improved to 21-4 overall and 12-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The 12 conference victories ties a UH record (the 1996-97 team finished 12-4), although the 'Bows remained a half-game out of first place. Tulsa, which defeated Louisiana Tech last night, is in first place at 13-2.

Hawai'i's next game is against Tulsa on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"I don't think this team will let up," said UH head coach Riley Wallace. "Every time they lose a game, they bounce back and are really tough."

The 'Bows were coming off a 61-57 loss at Louisiana Tech. However, Hawai'i has not lost consecutive games all season, and last night, the 'Bows proved that they are a worthy contender.

"Ever since we lost that game in San Jose, we said we wanted to get them back," said UH sophomore Carl English, who scored a game-high 23 points. "So our focus was entirely on this game. We weren't thinking about anything else but making them pay."

One month ago, the Spartans upset Hawai'i, 57-53, at San Jose, Calif. If last night was any indication, that loss now seems like a fluke.

English, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward, shot 9-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. He also played a key role during a first-half UH surge that erased any drama early.

He scored eight points during a 16-0 run midway through the first half that all but put the game away. At the start of the surge, Hawai'i held a 16-10 lead with 9:53 remaining in the half. By the end of it, the 'Bows held a commanding 32-10 advantage with 4:37 on the clock.

"It was pretty intense defense," Wallace said. "We had them almost at center court starting their offense."

English added: "I hit some of my shots, but it really was the defense that won it for us."

The 46 points was a season-low for San Jose State, and the Spartans shot just 36 percent from the field (17-of-47). During the decisive first half, the Spartans made just five of their 18 shots, including 0-of-4 from 3-point range.

At halftime, the 'Bows had a 35-17 lead, with English scoring 10.

"I thought Hawai'i was really into the passing lanes (defensively)," San Jose State head coach Steve Barnes said. "They moved us out. They got Marion (Thurmond) to shoot 18 footers rather than be around the basket."

If English was the focus on offense, fellow Canadian Phil Martin was the 'Bows' key on defense. The 6-foot-8 sophomore forward scored just seven points and grabbed four rebounds, but he held Spartan forward David Granucci to two points and four rebounds.

In the San Jose State victory over Hawai'i last month, Granucci had 17 points and seven rebounds and was later named the WAC Player of the Week.

"Coach gave me a mission to shut my man down and so I set out to do it," Martin said. "I just tried to put pressure on him and deny him from even getting the ball."

Wallace said: "You have to give (Martin) an A+. His defense probably led everybody else to play good defense."

As a result, the Spartans were held without a field goal in the final 9:53 of the first half.

"I think they were falling back on their heels by then," said UH senior Mike McIntyre. "Once we got that lead on them, we could relax and just enjoy it."

Indeed, the second half turned into a rout, with the 'Bows leading by as many as 30 before allowing the reserves to take the court in the closing minutes. All 13 UH players in uniform saw action.

McIntyre contributed 17 points, including three 3-pointers, while Predrag Savovic added 14. Savovic, who was averaging 20.5 points per game, also chipped in five rebounds and four assists.

Hawai'i out-rebounded the Spartans, 31-26, and forced 19 San Jose State turnovers.

According to Wallace, the 'Bows switched offensive schemes to confuse the Spartans. In particular, Wallace wanted either center Haim Shimonovich or Martin to catch the ball in the low-post on almost every possession.

"We had them touching the ball and getting it back outside," Wallace said. "And our shooters were shooting it."

The 'Bows finished 9-for-21 from 3-point range. In the loss at San Jose State, they were 3-of-20.

"It's a tough league, and you can lose to anybody on any given night," English said. "But we felt all along that we were the better team and I think we showed that."

Added Martin: "We got them back, big time."

The Spartans, who fell to 8-18 overall and 3-11 in the WAC, were led by Thurmond's 12 points and five rebounds. He was the only Spartan to score in double figures.

San Jose State's starting backcourt of Brandon Hawkins and Moises Alvarez did not start last night. Hawkins was late for a team bus during the week, and finished with six points in 21 minutes; Alvarez, who had a cut on his foot, played just three minutes.

"A lot of these guys were in Hawai'i for the first time and just didn't handle it well," Barnes said.

However, Barnes also had high praise for Hawai'i.

"They're not missing a lot of components," he said. "They're close to being a top 25 team, if not a top 25 team."