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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, February 20, 2005

'Bows fall flat during prime time

 •  Predatory Panthers steal win from Hawai'i
 •  Scoring spree no consolation for Gibson
 •  UTEP routs Rainbow Wahine, 71-50

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

The ESPN2 cameras and nearly two hours of national exposure were there.

And, so, too, was one of the largest, most-frenzied, "spirit" towel-waving Stan Sheriff Center crowds of the season.

But when prime time arrived, where was the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team?

When the lights went on, the Rainbow Warriors didn't. In a contest that had a big-game feeling to it, the 'Bows came up short. They were unable to deliver when it counted — at the end of the first half and early in the second — and where it mattered — on the offensive boards — in an 87-81 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

UWM, the betting underdog that flew 4,326 miles for a game some said it had been "crazy" to take in the first place, stole this "Bracket Buster" show right out of the 'Bows' hands in broad daylight as easily as it made off with 17 steals.

On this rarest of events, a Saturday afternoon home game, the 'Bows suffered an infrequent homecourt lapse of focus and intensity and it cost them, dearly, in the eighth loss against 14 wins.

"This team (UWM) tonight, they came in here and really executed and worked hard and just out-hustled us," Riley Wallace, the UH coach, lamented. "And, not many people do that to my teams.

"That's why I was disappointed."

Indeed, in part because these 'Bows had owned a 12-1 record at home against non-conference opponents, coaches in the Horizon Conference had counseled Panthers' coach Bruce Pearl against taking the game.

"Everybody thought we were crazy when I said we'd take this game," Pearl said. "They said it didn't make sense to come to Hawai'i at this point in the season. They warned us about the Polynesian paralysis."

But gambling the Panthers' at-large NCAA Tournament hopes if they don't win their conference tournament, Pearl said, "I jumped at the chance to play this game. ESPN asked and I said, 'Sure, we want it!' If we lost, it would have taken us out of the at-large picture, but when you're at our level, a mid-major, trying to get some exposure and attention, you've got to go play these games."

And, if you are the 'Bows, who have the infrequent opportunity to play one of these Bracket Busters at home after being shipped into the Eastern and Central time zones, you need to do what it takes to win it.

It was most telling in the final 4 minutes, 45 seconds of the first half and the initial 3:49 of the second half, a period in which the Panthers roared from a 25-20 deficit into a commanding 50-37 lead, outscoring UH 30-12. Remarkably, the Panthers put up 16 points in just 3:49, an onslaught that included making good on 3 of 4 3-point shots.

But where the 'Bows lapsed most and were taken advantage of was on the offensive glass where, despite giving up height, UWM muscled up a 19-10 rebounding edge, and in steals where the Panthers made off with a 17-8 command.

Said Wallace: "I'm disappointed for our fans because we didn't do what I expected us to do, which is come out and play with 40 minutes of emotion."

On this day of all days.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.