Warriors hammer UTEP

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

In the first place, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team was glad just to be back home last night.

Hawai'i's Julian Sensley puts the finishing touches on this first-half basket. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

As a result, Hawai'i is now in first place in the Western Athletic Conference.

"We're playing like a first-place team right now," point guard Logan Lee said. "We're on a roll."

A crowd of 5,475 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows improve to 13-3 with their fifth consecutive victory and 11th in the last 12. More important, Hawai'i moved into a tie with Rice for first place in the WAC at 5-1. UTEP dropped to 12-4 and 3-3.

Every UH player saw action, and seemingly every one contributed in some form. Michael Kuebler led the way with 21 points, while Jeff Blackett added 14 points, and Haim Shimonovich had 10 points and eight rebounds.

"We had the same records and everybody was talking about this as a big game," Blackett said. "And any time you can beat a good team like that the way we did, it's a big statement."

The 22-point blowout was no minor accomplishment. It represented the largest margin of victory by Hawai'i over the Miners in the teams' 48-game series history.

UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie and his players were apparently so distraught after the game, they refused all requests for interviews. And that came after a 45-minute locked-door session in the locker room after the game.

UTEP entered the game leading the WAC in scoring, but was held to 19 points below its average. The Miners also led the conference in field-goal percentage, but shot just 34.3 percent (23 of 67) last night.

In contrast, Hawai'i shot 52.4 percent (33 of 63), becoming the first team all season to shoot better than 50 percent against UTEP.

"Everybody was hitting shots," said UH reserve point guard Jason Carter. "It was like every play we ran was working and every shot we put up was going in."

Led by a combined 23 points from Blackett and Carter, the Hawai'i bench out-scored UTEP's reserves, 40-18.

"We scored a lot of points off the bench tonight, again," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We're not falling off. We've got that depth and we're using it."

They got to use it early and often.

Hawai'i guard Logan Lee is fouled by UTEP's Giovanni St. Amant while driving to the basket. Lee had five points and seven assists. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

"It was an up and down (running) game, and I like that," Carter said. "I feel like I can see the court better."

Hawai'i led by as many as 25 in the first half and took a 47-29 lead at intermission. By the end of the first half, all 12 of UH's scholarship players got in the game.

Hawai'i entered the game with a distinct size advantage and used it to out-rebound the Miners, 40-37. Shimonovich, a 6-foot-10 senior, made 5 of 6 shots, and also contributed three blocked shots and three steals.

"Our size was a big-time advantage," Lee said. "When we got our big boys going down there, it opens everything else up."

As proof, 22 of UH's 33 baskets came on layups or dunks. Lee passed for seven of the team's 20 assists.

"If we keep playing like this, we'll be hard to stop," Lee said.

UTEP never got closer than 14 in the second half. The 'Bows built the lead to as much as 75-47 with 9:06 remaining.

Kuebler scored 14 points in the second half, shooting 3 of 5 from 3-point range.

Omar Thomas led the Miners with 14 points. Jason Williams added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Starting forward Roy Smallwood did not play in the first half as a suspension for violating team rules.

Hawai'i will play another WAC home game tomorrow against Boise State at 7:05 p.m.

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

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