Tanner Christensen scored a game-high 20 points with eight rebounds, and Tom Beattie added 16 points Sunday evening to help Hawai’i hold off San Jose State, 80-69, in the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic.
An announced crowd of 4,580 (tickets issued) in SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Harry Rouhliadeff add 12 points and seven boards and Kody Williams chip in with 12 points and three assists as the Warriors improved to 2-0. Donovan Yap, Jr., scored 16 points and Sadaidriene Hall added 14 points off the bench to lead the Spartans, who fell to 0-2.
The victory lands UH in Monday’s 7 p.m. championship tilt against Pacific, a game which will be televised live statewide on Spectrum OC12, and broadcast live via radio on ESPN Honolulu AM1420.
The Warriors jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes, before San Jose State woke up for an 11-2 run to surge ahead, 13-11, at the 13:16 mark. The remainder of the half stayed tight, with the Spartans taking a 38-34 advantage into the locker room.
San Jose State then opened the second half with a basket to lead, 40-34, but Hawai’i quickly closed the gap and eventually went up for good at 59-56 on Rouhliadeff’s 3-pointer with just under eight minutes left.
The Warriors later closed out the game with a 17-9 run in the final five minutes.