Posted on: Tuesday, December 21, 2004
'Bows need to get back in groove
| • | Hawai'i wins opener |
| • | Unbeaten Oral Roberts rolls past Georgetown |
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Coumnist
The University of Hawai'i brought in renown NBA shooting coach Dave Hopla to put on a free youth clinic this morning as a community service gesture.
Turns out the Rainbow Warriors might need the 9 a.m. tutorial in Gym 1 even more.
They launched airballs, missed layins and struggled at the free-throw line, in short they did just about everything it took to inject some unexpected second-half drama into a 54-45 first-round Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic victory over Long Beach State.
A game that should have been another ho-hum first round waltz over a 15-point underdog was still a two-point issue until the final 6 minutes, 32 seconds, thanks to gosh-awful 28 percent field-goal shooting. And, that was the good part. They shot just 11.8 percent (2 of 17) from 3-point range. They also shot just 16 of 28 from the free-throw line but that doesn't take into account the front end of three one-and-ones they missed.
In one second-half stretch, it added up to going 6 minutes, 58 seconds without any points and a head-scratching 9 minutes, 4 seconds without a field goal.
For a while there head coach Riley Wallace, who was discharged from Kaiser Permanente last week after an angioplasty to clear a blocked artery, looked to be ready for a return as 1-6 Long Beach State charged back into the game.
The 'Bows went 11 deep into their lineup looking for a shooter, a hot hand, something. "Tonight nobody was (hot)," said Matt Gibson, whose 4-of-9 shooting and 15 points came closest.
Not until Jeff Blackett's jumper put UH up 50-41 with 3:19 remaining was there a collective sigh of relief to be felt among the 5,751 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
Not until "Little Matt" Gibson poured in the tail end of his 11 second-half points on free throws in the final minutes was UH's longest unbeaten streak (6-0) since 1973-74 assured and the threat of the consolation round ruled out.
Fortuitously for UH, it had The Beach and not the Preach(er), Oral Roberts. The 8-0 Golden Eagles of Oral Roberts mowed down Georgetown, 81-63, and, for one night, at least, looked like the class of the four teams that took the floor. By plenty.
"If I was them (ORU), I wouldn't have worried about us too much," Wallace said of his team's opponent in tomorrow night's semifinals.
Whether it was the three days the 'Bows vacated the gym for finals last week or simply trying too hard too often to impress their parents, many of whom were in attendance, they hardly resembled the team that won its first five games with some spunk.
"Basketball is like a jealous woman," Wallace said. "It demands all your time and we weren't giving it all our time."
Blessed with a day off from the tournament today, that had better change in a hurry or ownership of the Rainbow Classic title that has resided in Manoa for the past three years will.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
