UCSB rallies past Hawai'i in opener

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's Haim Shimonovich goes up for a shot over the defense of UC Santa Barbara's Casey Cook. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

The season opener for the Rainbow Warriors was a forgettable 57-51 loss to UC Santa Barbara last night.

A crowd of 4,473 watched Hawai'i lose in the Stan Sheriff Center for only the third time in the last 41 games.

"We just couldn't hit a shot," said UH sophomore forward Julian Sensley.

Too many missed shots, too many turnovers and not enough defensive intensity resulted in too few points for the 'Bows.

Hawai'i shot just .396 from the field (21 of 53), including a dismal .235 from 3-point range, and committed 16 turnovers. As a result, Hawai'i had its lowest output for a season opener in 10 years.

"We were impatient," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "We didn't want to come out firing up 3s like we did when we're trying to be more of an inside game this year."

Still, the 'Bows nearly pulled it off.

In a back-and-forth game, the Gauchos took the momentum last with a 10-0 run in the closing minutes.

"I thought the last five, six minutes we were not aggressive at all defensively," Wallace said.

For the first 35 minutes of the 40-minute game, neither team led by more than five. Until UCSB took the lead for good at 47-44, the lead changed nine times and the score was tied seven different times.

"Defensively, we could have picked it up," Sensley said. "But on the offensive end, we were just missing open shots that we normally hit."

The UH guards were particularly ineffective. Starters Jason Carter and Michael Kuebler combined for seven points on 2 of 13 shooting, including 1 of 10 from 3-point range.

"That means two things," Wallace said. "One, we're not executing. And two, they're playing good defense and not giving us good looks (at the basket)."

The Gauchos, who are favored to win the Big West Conference, were among the national leaders in team defense last season, and they proved their worth last night.

The Gauchos collected eight steals and out-rebounded Hawai'i, 36-31.

"We had some good stops and when we needed the free throws, we knocked them down," said UCSB forward Casey Cook, who finished with game-highs of 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Phil Martin led the 'Bows with 12 points. Sensley, making his NCAA Division I debut, added 10 points and seven rebounds. They were the only two UH players to score in double-figures.

Last season, Hawai'i had a player score at least 16 points in every game.

"We were getting open, we just couldn't knock shots down," said Carter, who scored just two points, but contributed six assists and five rebounds in his first career start at UH.

The indications came early, as the 'Bows missed their first six shots of the game and fell behind 5-0 in the first three minutes.

But the score remained close — despite sloppy play from both teams — the rest of the first half with Hawai'i taking a 25-20 lead at intermission.

"We had some energy during the end of the first half, then we came out the second half and (UCSB) kind of got control of the tempo," Wallace said.

The Gauchos took control with their 10-0 run that turned a 44-41 deficit into a 51-44 lead with 3:20 remaining. UH never got closer than four the rest of the way.

"We were kind of worried; the first half we played pretty bad," Cook said. "But at the end, they got a little tired and we persevered."

The Gauchos played without their two best players, guards Branduinn Fullove (injured ankle) and Nick Jones (suspended).

"It makes the trip a whole lot nicer," UCSB head coach Bob Williams said. "You don't come here and beat Hawai'i very often, let alone with Fullove and Nick Jones sitting at home."

The 'Bows will continue a stretch of four games in six days against Santa Clara on Monday on the opening night of the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.