Rainbows rally past Silverswords, 68-54

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawai'i's Vaidotas Peciukas shifts directions, leaving Chaminade's Zack Whiting in his wake. Peciukas scored all 10 of his points in the second half when UH pulled away. Michael Conroy • Associated Press

The Rainbow Warriors established that in a 68-54 victory over neighbor Chaminade in the semifinals of the EA Sports Maui Invitational last night at the Lahaina Civic Center.

After flicking away the pesky Silverswords, the 'Bows will now have to take on somebody bigger. In its first appearance in the prestigious Maui Invitational, Hawai'i will play for the tournament championship against Dayton today at 4:30 p.m.

"This is why we wanted to play in Maui," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "We're where we want to be and if we're going to play for the championship, why not take on the best team, and Dayton is definitely the best team on the other side (of the bracket)."

Last night, the 'Bows showed they may be up for the challenge.

Senior guard Michael Kuebler broke out of a shooting slump and matched his career-high with 29 points as the showcase of UH's find-the-open-man offense.

"Were we waiting for that or what?" Wallace said.

"I think coming into this game, I told myself to have the mindset of, if I'm open shoot it and try not to be too hesitant," he said. "Every time I hesitate, it's when I think about it, and those usually don't go in."

With Kuebler lurking on the outside, Chaminade could not jam the inside, and the Hawai'i size advantage eventually took its toll.

Haim Shimonovich, a 6-foot-10, 275-pound senior, came off the bench to record 14 points and 11 rebounds. Julian Sensley, a 6-9 forward, added seven rebounds, six points and five assists.

Hawai'i out-rebounded Chaminade, 41-31, including 23-13 in the second half.

"I thought their big bodies took over right from the beginning," Chaminade head coach Aaron Griess said. "Haim hurt us inside quite a bit in the first half. We tried to attack him and he was just too big."

Still, the final outcome was not a true indication of the Silverswords' tenacity. One night after upsetting Villanova in the first round, Chaminade appeared intent on adding Hawai'i to the list.

The Silverswords opened the game with a 7-2 run and trailed just 26-25 at halftime.

"They were out-hustling us," Wallace said.

But apparently upsets do not come with kama'aina rates. Instead of embarking on a halftime tirade, Wallace said he focused on switching offenses against the smaller Silverswords.

As Kuebler put it: "We knew if we came out (in the second half) and played our game, we'd eventually get them."

Chaminade actually took a 30-28 lead early in the second half before Kuebler unloaded his long-rang barrage. He scored 14 during a stunning 24-2 run that put Hawai'i ahead, 52-32, and took only seven minutes to complete.

"We ran a couple more plays that are reserved for the shooters," Kuebler said. "It opened me up a little bit."

It also opened up several opportunities for other players, and junior forward Vaidotas Peciukas was the primary benefactor, scoring all 10 of his points in the second half.

More often than not, the Silverswords were caught lagging, leaving the UH shooters wide open in the second half. The proof was in the numbers: Hawai'i shot .586 (17 of 29) in the second half, and 13 of those 17 field goals came off assists. Sophomore point guard Logan Lee did not score, but dished out six assists.

"They're making five, six, seven, eight passes and cutting and screening," Griess said of the UH offense. "It's a very demanding defense to have to play when you're playing the University of Hawai'i, and we weren't up to that demand in the second half."

Making matters worse, the Silverswords tried to rally with several ill-advised 3-point shots, most of which missed. Chaminade shot for a .358 percentage from the field overall, including .238 (5 of 21) from 3-point range.

"We didn't stay with the game plan," Griess said. "A lot of the 3s we were shooting weren't even open. They were contested and that is not something we do."

Hawai'i, which improved to 2-1, has yet to allow an opponent to reach 60 points this season.

Sam Henning and Roy Stigall III led the Silverswords with 12 points each. Chaminade, which dropped to 1-1, will play San Diego State for third place today at 11:30 a.m.

"We can still live on the island," Wallace said jokingly after the victory.

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