Nothing better than a rare road sweep to make Back to School Week a bit sweeter.
The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team returned to classes on Monday with a little spring in their step, thanks to victories at UC Riverside last Thursday and Cal State Fullerton on Saturday.
The Warriors also bring a three-game win streak into Thursday’s home game versus Cal State Northridge. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., with the action being broadcast live on statewide TV via Spectrum Sports Channel 16, and live via radio on ESPN Honolulu 1420AM.
UH enters the game at 11-5 overall and 3-2 in the Big West Conference, coming off a 95-86 win at Fullerton. CSUN is 11-6, 3-3 after its second straight loss — a 94-90 defeat at Cal State Bakersfield last Saturday.
Despite the Matadors’ recent stumble, Warriors coach Eran Ganot said Cal State Northridge presents several hurdles.
“They put a lot of pressure on you from all five positions, whether it’s attacking the rim, getting to the (free throw) line … that’s why you see the physicality on the boards, in transition,” Ganot said. “It’s from different guys, so it’s going to be a challenge for us.”
In the loss to Bakersfield, Mahmoud Fofana led the Matadors with 24 points, Marcus Adams Jr. added 21 points and Keonte Jones contributed 11 points and nine rebounds.
As a team, CSUN shot 57.1 percent (32 of 56) from the field and out-rebounded the Road Runners, 34-24. The Matadors also outscored CSUB in the paint, 46-20.
For Hawai’i, its most impressive stat against Fullerton was making a stunning 36 free throws in 38 attempts (94.7 percent), including 26 of 27 (96.3 percent) in the second half.
“That’s certainly something I continue to want to improve on,” said Warriors center Tanner Christensen, who made 7 of 8 shots from the charity stripe. “If you go the line and you make your first two free throws, I feel like that really helps me personally, just to see the ball go in. Free throws, honestly, are more of a mental thing. In college basketball, people in practice can make 20 in a row, but get to the game and miss … It worked out better last game, and I was able to be more consistent at the line, so I’m hoping to continue that trend.”
The free throw proficiency helped UH hold off several surges by the Titans, who never were able to take the lead. Part of that steadiness can also be attributed to strong guard play, including 15-plus minutes off the bench from true freshman Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, who contributed seven points, two rebounds and one assist.
Hunkin-Claytor committed only one turnover despite sometimes heavy backcourt pressure.
“It’s been nice to get more minutes and have the coaches trust in me,” said Hunkin-Claytor, who lists Wahiawa as his hometown and played his first two years of high school ball at ‘Iolani before graduating from Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) in the San Francisco East Bay Area. “The coaches trust me a lot to just play my role and know what I have to do to help the team win. I felt really confident, and it’s all (from) the coaches and teammates trusting me, they always help me.”
Ganot said part of the trust in Hunkin-Clayton comes from him passing the “soul test.”
“Does he love the game? Does he love to compete? Does he love being part of the team?” Ganot said. “The feel for the game — he’s got that, and then some. It doesn’t always happen overnight. Let the kids go through it — experience good or bad will help you, if you use it right. If we can understand that, it will be the best thing for us.”
Big West Conference Standings
UC Irvine 5-0
UC San Diego 4-1
UC Santa Barbara 3-2
HAWAI’I 3-2
UC Riverside 3-2
Long Beach State 3-2
Cal State Northridge 3-3
UC Davis 3-3
Cal State Bakersfield 3-3
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 0-6
Cal State Fullerton 0-6