UH lost winning touch on road
By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer
RENO, Nev. — Perhaps the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team forgot to buy destiny a present for the holidays.
In any case, it appears the Rainbow Warriors are no longer her darlings after two close losses on the road. After losing by one at Fresno State on Wednesday, the 'Bows lost at Nevada, 58-55, last night at the Lawlor Events Center.
Prior to its last two games, Hawai'i was 8-0 and had won three games in the final minute of play. The 'Bows are now 8-2 overall and 0-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.
"These hurt more because this is conference, where every game counts for so much," Hawai'i forward "Big Matt" Gipson said. "We just let two slip away."
Both times, the 'Bows had chances to win.
Last night, forward Julian Sensley's turnaround jump shot from 15 feet away bounced off the rim in the closing seconds with the 'Bows trailing 55-54.
Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said his team has somehow forgotten how to "grind it out" in the closing minutes of tight games.
"It seems like when the game is on the line, we play perimeter basketball and don't make hard cuts to the basket," Wallace said. "Julian's shot was a good shot, but there were other possessions late in the game where guys took shots from the outside way too early."
In the week before this road trip, Bobby Nash hit a 25-foot shot at the buzzer to give the 'Bows a victory over Oral Roberts.
"It's like they all want to hit something like that now," Wallace said. "But we can't be relying on lucky shots. We need to execute our offense better under pressure."
4,500 fans not daunted by weather, late start
A crowd of around 4,500 braved the snow and a late start to attend last night's game at the Lawlor Events Center.
A snowstorm has been hitting Reno since Thursday, and some roads were still closed last night.
Last night's game also started at 9 p.m. (Reno time) because it was televised nationally on ESPN2.
Nevada officials announced the attendance as 6,626, but that was the number of tickets issued for the game.
Nevada's Fazekas a force against 'Bows
Nevada forward Nick Fazekas did his part to earn consideration for WAC Player of the Week honors last night.
The 6-foot-11 sophomore had game-highs of 23 points and 17 rebounds. Against San Jose State on Thursday, he had 16 points and seven rebounds.
"He's a very good basketball player," Wallace said. "When you put up numbers like that against a big team like us, it shows what kind of player you are."
Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8101.
