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HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team overcame a lackluster first half with a strong second-half performance to defeat Arkansas Pine Bluff, 70-63, Wednesday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors improved to a perfect 5-0 with the win.

 

Playing its first game without injured senior leader Bill Amis, UH found difficulty getting into rhythm and trailed by three at halftime. But the Rainbow Warriors ramped up their play after the break to preserve their unblemished record.

 

Joston Thomas and Zane Johnson led UH with 16 points each with Johnson scoring all but three of his points in the decisive second half. Hiram Thompson posted 15 points and buried 8-of-10 free throws. Meanwhile, starting center Vander Joaquim came up with a huge performance recording five points and 16 rebounds.

 

Both teams came out cold as they combined to miss 16 of their first 20 shots. But Arkansas-Pine Bluff got its outside shooting going and led by as many as nine points in the first half. UH missed its first seven three-point attempts and committed 11 turnovers by the break to trail 32-29 going into the locker room.

 

The 'Bows—as  they have all this season—responded with a strong second half.   A Johnson three-pointer put UH back up top, 40-39, less than four minutes into the second half and spurred a 16-4 run that extended UH's lead to double digits. The Golden Lions (0-5) tried to chip away throughout the half, but could get no closer than five points.

 

Hawai'i held Arkansas-Pine Bluff to just 34 percent shooting in the second half and behind Joaquim finished with a 40-28 edge on the glass. The Rainbow Warriors also buried 25-of-34 free throws to help seal the win.

 

UH now heads to the road for the first time with a pair of games at Cal Poly (Dec. 1) and Brigham Young (Dec. 4).