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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, December 14, 2008

UH MEN'S BASKETBALL
Hot Rod carries 'Bows over Eastern Washington

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Hawai'i guard Roderick Flemings dunks the ball during a 75-55 victory over Eastern Washington.

Photos by MARCO GARCIA | Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Hawai'i's Roderick Flemings drives to the basket against Eastern Washington's Andy Genao.

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It looks like Roderick Flemings' injured ankle is all better.

Flemings reached the height of his hype with a 37-point performance last night to lead the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team to a 75-55 victory over Eastern Washington.

A crowd of 2,906 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Warriors win their fourth consecutive home game to improve to 4-3. The Eagles dropped to 6-3.

Flemings, who was hailed as Hawai'i's best recruit in more than a decade, shot 16-of-23 from the field and 4-of-6 on free throws. His 37 points tied the record for most scored by a Hawai'i player in the Sheriff Center.

"I've just been working on my game, before practice, after practice," said Flemings, a 6-foot-7 junior. "Coach (Bob) Nash been running some good plays, getting me the ball in spots I like. I was just knocking shots down."

Flemings tied the Sheriff Center record set by Tes Whitlock in 1994. Whitlock is now a student assistant for the 'Bows, and he was on the bench last night.

"I had mixed emotions," Whitlock said. "On one hand, I knew we needed this win, so if he scored 40, great. On the other hand, I was thinking that's the last sign of anything I've done here so it would be nice to keep it.

"No, to tell you the truth, I wanted to see him get more. It was quite a performance."

Flemings has reached double-figure points in every game this season, even though he has been bothered by a sprained right ankle since the preseason.

"It's like 90, 95 (percent)," Flemings said. "It's almost there."

He scored 15 in the first half, and 22 in the second, and also contributed five rebounds and four assists. His baskets came mostly on a variety of mid-range jump shots and drives to the basket. He also had one 3-pointer and two crowd-pleasing fastbreak dunks.

"It was a quiet 37 points," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "He did it in a variety of ways — jump shots, long ball, offensive putbacks. That's what you want out of your guys."

Eastern Washington head coach Kirk Earlywine was more disappointed in his team's "lack of physical effort."

"I'm sure Flemings is in there feeling really good about himself right now because nobody wearing a red uniform put up much of a fight," he said.

Nash emphasized that it wasn't just about Flemings.

The 'Bows committed a season-low 12 turnovers, passed for a season-high 18 assists, and shot 50.9 percent from the field. They also out-rebounded the Eagles, 34-23.

"Great team effort," Nash said. "I thought our guys did a nice job complementing each other."

The game turned into a blowout in the closing minutes, allowing all 14 Hawai'i players in uniform to see action.

Bill Amis added 11 points and three blocked shots, and Petras Balocka had nine points and seven rebounds for the 'Bows.

"Usually, you win games when you out-rebound your opponent," Balocka said. "We've been doing a lot of drills in practice and it shows up in the games."

The Eagles had an early 13-9 lead before the 'Bows took control.

The 'Bows closed the first half with a 9-2 surge and took a 38-26 lead at intermission. The Eagles opened the second half with a 7-0 run to cut the Hawai'i lead to 38-33, but that was as close as it would get.

Flemings out-scored the Eagles 9-0 during one spectacular three-minute stretch in the second half.

He also played a key role on defense, manning the top of Hawai'i's 1-2-2 zone. The 'Bows played a mix of zone and man-to-man defenses, and forced the Eagles into 17 turnovers.

"Rod tonight had one of those nights where he did an awesome job on both ends of the floor," Nash said.

Overshadowed in the loss was an oversized performance by Eastern Washington's undersized Benny Valentine. The 5-7 point guard led the Eagles with 14 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

Hawai'i sophomore point guard Hiram Thompson played six minutes, and did not have any points or assists. However, it was the first game he has played since the season opener. He sat out the last five games with a hamstring injury.

Freshman Ji Xiang scored the first two points of his career, draining two free throws late in the game to the delight of the crowd.

Hawai'i is scheduled to play another home game tomorrow night, when it hosts Chicago State.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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