By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

After losing back-to-back games in the final minute on the road, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team made sure there would be none of that when it got back home.

Not by a long shot.

Or, as was the case last night, the short stuff, either: Dunks, tip-ins, put-backs ...

You name it and the Rainbow Warriors used their size to take the drama — and San Jose State — out of this one in a hurry, 71-45.

The 9-2 'Bows' first Western Athletic Conference win after two losses was a laugher punctuated with four consecutive dunks and a tip-in in a 14-0, six-minute, 43-second run. By the time it was 22-9, UH recorded four dunks, two tip-ins, a put-back and a close-in hook shot.

By the time the crowd was settled in its seats, the backboard supports were already shaking. And, so, too, were the Spartans.

"I was thinking, 'what's going on here?' " recalled UH forward Matt Gipson, who was not alone in his awe among the 6,485 assembled at the Stan Sheriff Center.

What, indeed. It was an above-the-rim clinic that even UH coach Riley Wallace could not recall the likes of in his 18 seasons. One San Jose State, which had given UH an uncommon amount of trouble in the past, had no answers for.

The Spartans led 2-0 and then, less than eight minutes into the game, there was no game anymore. At that point UH led 14-2 and whatever the Spartans' game plan was, it was time to move on to Plan B ... or C. If not straight to the airport.

"It was their dominance inside," said Phil Johnson, the San Jose State coach, shaking his head afterward at the 44-25 edge in rebounding and lopsidedness in the paint. "It was dominance through and through. To a man."

The man of the moment, a 7-footer among boys at times, it seemed, was UH center Chris Botez. Weighing in with his best performance since the second game of the season, Botez scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and passed out two assists. Mostly, he took the Spartans out of their slowdown game.

"I mean, right off the bat Botez did what he wanted to do with us," Johnson said. "Really, he hasn't been one of their lead weapons (but) he drove by us. He laid it up. He rebounded at will. I thought he was their key guy in that early part of the game. We didn't play very hard on him."

In short order Botez turned his opposite number, Matt Misko, into the picture of frustration as Misko mindlessly grabbed, shoved and elbowed Botez. At one point, Misko, who eventually fouled out, picked up two personal fouls in less than a second.

"I wanted to give him a chill pill," Gipson said.

"They were yelling at each other and getting on each other," UH's Julian Sensley said. "We were able to get in their heads. They were forcing up bad shots. We took them completely out of their game."

After living and dying — dying mostly — on last-minute decisions, the 'Bows made sure to tuck this one away safely and early.

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