Hawai'i is 8-3, has three 7 footers on their volcanic roster. Only Dawson Carper gets substantial time (16.2 mpg). Mate Colina gets about 7 mpg. The third 6'12"er doesn't play yet.
They are led by G Eddie Stansberry's 18.5 points, G Drew Buggs' 5.6 assists and F Zigmars Raimo's 7.0 rebounds per game.
Rainbow Warriors beat UTEP 67-63 last night so face UW in a few minutes.
Hope the Dawgs have legs. May see a deeper bench.
GO HUSKIES!
[/HONOLULU -- Washington coach Mike Hopkins loves his 2/3 zone defense.
He also knows when he needs to go to a different look.
Jaden McDaniels scored 22 points and the No. 22 Huskies pulled away from Ball State for an 85-64 victory in the Diamond Head Classic on Sunday.
Quade Green had 21 points for Washington (9-2), which shot 56% percent from the field and won for the seventh time in eight games. Isaiah Stewart added 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Washington and Ball State exchanged a barrage of 3-pointers early on. After the Cardinals hit five 3s in the first 10-plus minutes, the Huskies switched to man-to-man defense and it worked out quite well.
"They scared me at first," said Hopkins, a former assistant at Syracuse. "It takes a lot to get me out of the zone and they did it. They're a really well-coached team with exceptional shooters. We went to a man and took away the 3-point shot, which is a huge part of their offense and it worked tonight."
Green, a transfer from Kentucky, went 7 of 8 from the floor, including a 4-for-5 performance from 3-point range. McDaniels was 8-of-15 shooting and 4 for 7 from beyond the arc.
"I felt like we moved the ball. Isaiah Stewart gets so much attention that I thought we shared the ball well and made shots," Hopkins said.
quote]
HONOLULU -- Bernardo da Silva came off the bench to score 17 points and Drew Buggs scored five points in the final 39 seconds to lift Hawaii to a 67-63 win over UTEP in the Diamond Head Classic on Sunday night, the Rainbow Warriors' seventh consecutive home victory.
Buggs finished with nine points and eight assists. Samuta Avea had 16 points and eight rebounds for Hawaii (8-3) and Zigmars Raimo added six assists and five steals.
The Miners led by as many as nine points after the break and had a 51-43 lead midway through the second half. Avea hit a 3-pointer and then made a dunk -- both assisted by Buggs -- before his jumper capped a 7-0 spurt over a 64-second span to trim Hawaii's deficit to a point with nearly nine minutes to play. Buggs' layup with 39 seconds left capped a 10-2 run and gave the Rainbow Warriors a 64-60 lead.
Bryson Williams tied a career high with 33 points for the Miners (8-3). Daryl Edwards added 12 points. Souley Boum had 10 points.
Hawaii plays No. 22 Washington in the semfinals, and UTEP plays Ball State in a consolation game, Monday.