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HONOLULU – The
Gib Arnold era got off to a rousing start as the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team opened the 2010-11 season with a 77-59 win over Montana State in the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic Friday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. Under the direction of its first-year coach, the revamped Rainbow Warriors rolled to victory with a huge second half surge.
The game was tied at halftime but the 'Bows absolutely rolled in the second half, scoring the first points of the half and never trailing again. UH, behind an energetic performance on both ends of the court, built its lead to as many as 24 points.
Senior
Hiram Thompson led three Rainbow Warriors in double figures with a career high 21 points. Thompson—who went 8-of-9 from the floor and hit all three of his three-point attempts—also added six rebounds and four assists. Junior
Joston Thomas posted 18 points and six rebounds, while freshman
Bo Barnes came off the bench for 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from behind the arc.
Arnold went to his bench early and often as 10 of 11 active players saw playing time by halftime. Nine of the 10 players got in the scoring column.
The Bobcats led for most of the first half with some hot three-point shooting. MSU hit five of its first six from long range and by the end of the half tallied eight three-pointers. All but three of their first-half field goals came from behind the arc. UH took its first lead of the game late in the first half as an 8-0 run gave the 'Bows a 31-26 lead. The teams eventually went into the locker room knotted, 32-32.
After the half it was all Rainbow Warriors as UH wore down the Bobcats. The 'Bows shot 54 percent in the second half and on the defensive end held MSU to just 11-of-31 shooting (36 percent). Hawai'i hit 10-of-23 of its three-pointers and ended with a 44-30 advantage on the boards.
The Rainbow Classic continues Saturday when UH takes on Cal State Fullerton. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.
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