UH defeats Tulsa in thriller

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's Predrag Savovic attempts to get off a scoop shot around Tulsa's Jack Ingram. Savovic finished with 27 points as Hawai'i won, 86-85. Eugene Tanner The Honolulu Advertiser

In what has already become a thrill-ride of a season, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team earned its most scintillating victory in years, 86-85, over Tulsa last night.

Mark Campbell hit a free throw with 2.9 seconds remaining to give the Rainbow Warriors the heart-pounding win, and also put them in sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference.

"I don't know that there's been a better basketball game played in this arena," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "And I don't know that there was ever a bigger game in the Stan Sheriff Center than this one."

A sellout crowd of 9,669 at the Stan Sheriff Center erupted into deafening cheers that lasted for several minutes after the final horn sounded. With that, the 'Bows improved to 22-4 overall with their 11th consecutive home victory. More important, Hawai'i moved to 13-2 in the WAC with three regular-season games remaining.

"If we take care of business now, we can win the WAC," Wallace said.

Two of UH's victories have come against Tulsa, which fell to 22-5 overall and dropped into second place in the WAC at 13-3.

"It was one of those games where both teams played well enough to win," Tulsa head coach John Phillips said. "But Hawai'i did the job at the end and we didn't."

Indeed, Campbell's free throw capped a furious finish that put the Golden Hurricane into a tropical depression.

Hyped as a first-place showdown between the WAC's two best teams, the game was played as advertised. The teams traded the lead 16 times, and neither team ever led by more than seven points.

Tulsa's Kevin Johnson made one of two free throws with 12.6 seconds remaining to tie the score, 85-85. After a timeout, Campbell dribbled the length of the court, and then was fouled by Johnson as he went in for a layup.

"I saw the opening and went for it," Campbell said. "I had a chance at the last second to pass it off, but I decided that I was already there."

After a Tulsa timeout, Campbell made the first free throw, then missed the second. Tulsa's Greg Harrington missed a 35-foot desperation shot as time expired.

"That actually helped me a lot," Campbell said of Tulsa's timeout before his free throws. "It relaxed me and gave me a chance to catch my breath."

He was not the only hero. Among the others:

Carl English, the Tulsa torturer, scored a career-high 28 points, including 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

"Coach challenged me this week to come up big," said English, who shot 11-of-16 from the field overall. "The guys were finding me and the shots were falling."

Predrag Savovic added 27 points, including a crucial 3-pointer that put Hawai'i ahead, 83-82, with 1:15 remaining.

"It was all open looks," he said.

Savovic hit four 3-pointers, as UH went 12-for-24 from beyond the arc.

Haim Shimonovich, the 6-foot-10 center, finished with eight points, a career-high 14 rebounds, and five assists.

Shimonovich was also challenged by Wallace this week after the Tulsa coaches commented that UH might be a better team with a smaller lineup.

"It was like some of the rebounds just fell in my hands," he said. "But I was working hard for everything. I wanted to prove (Tulsa) wrong."

Led by Shimonovich, UH won the rebounding battle, 32-38.

Mindaugas Burneika, who came off the bench to record 11 points. His 3-pointer with 4:37 remaining cut Tulsa's lead to 80-76, and "was the one that really got Hawai'i going," according to Phillips.

The Sheriff Center crowd, which showed up in white shirts while waving ti leaves throughout the game. It was the first sellout in four seasons.

"Overall, it was the best game I've ever been a part of," Campbell said. "With the atmosphere, and what the game meant, and the way it went back and forth, it was unbelievable."

It was that way from the start, as the teams exchanged the lead 10 times in the first half. Hawai'i took a 41-38 lead into halftime, with English (12) and Savovic (11) combining for 23.

Tulsa responded in the second half with potent shooting from Antonio Reed. The 5-10 guard was 4-of-4 from 3-point range in the second half, and finished with a season-high 24 points.

Two of his 3-pointers came during a 14-1 run that turned a 72-66 deficit into a 80-73 advantage for the Hurricane.

That set the stage for UH's memorable comeback.