Christensen powers Hawai’i over San Jose State in Rainbow Classic

HONOLULU – Punch it home. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team finally faced off against Division I competition on Sunday evening, powering by future Mountain West foe San Jose State in the second day of the OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic, 80-69, behind a strong effort by graduate center Tanner Christensen and the calming presence of a multitude of veterans down the stretch. 

The Utah Tech transfer poured in 20 points (8-10 FG) and eight rebounds in his second start for the Rainbow Warriors, scoring 14 points in the second half to help Hawai’i (2-0) down the Spartans to set up a true championship game on Monday night in the final day of the 58th annual Rainbow Classic.

Hawai’i started out hot, hitting the first four shots of the night as four different Rainbow Warriors scored to jump out to an early seven-point lead over SJSU. The Spartans responded quickly, rattling off an 11-2 run to take a two-point advantage with 13:16 left to play in the opening period. 

Marcus Greene, who transferred to UH in the offseason from Houston Christian, pushed the Rainbow Warriors back in front with consecutive baskets as a variety of the upperclassmen helped Hawai’i stay close with San Jose State in a back-and-forth first frame. 

The Spartans took a late 30-29 lead in the opening half after back-to-back shot-clock buzzer-beating triples by Will McClendon and Jermaine Washington swung the momentum back in SJSU’s favor with 3:57 left to play. Graduate forward Sadaidriene Hall closed out the period hot with a pair of buckets and a couple of free throws to send San Jose State into the halftime break leading by four. 

Christensen returned the momentum back to Hawai’i to begin the second half, slamming home a dunk over a pair of San Jose State defenders and drawing the foul to pull the Rainbow Warriors within one, 40-39. Kody Williams tied it at 44 just two minutes later with a three-pointer, but Hall scored six straight for San Jose State after Christensen’s third foul to push the visitors back ahead by a couple possessions, 50-46. 

Following the under-12-minute media timeout, Christensen went back to work with five straight points to pull Hawai’i back in front by one as the teams continued to trade the lead. The 6-foot-10 center knotted the game again at 56 with just over eight minutes to play before Harry Rouhliadeff drilled a straight-away triple to give Hawai’i the lead for good at the 7:55 mark of the second half. 

Christensen continued serving as the focal point for the Rainbow Warriors offense down the stretch, scoring another four points while delivering the pass on Tom Beattie’s dagger three with just under two minutes to play to seal Hawai’i’s second win in the Rainbow Classic. 

Beattie finished with a new career high in points, tallying 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 35 minutes for UH. Kody Williams and Harry Rouhliadeff each added 12 points apiece while Marcus Greene chipped in 11 points off the bench for the Rainbow Warriors, who turn around and face unbeaten Pacific (3-0) on Monday evening in the de facto OUTRIGGER Rainbow Classic championship game. 

 The Tigers dispatched Life Pacific, 95-41, on the second day of the tournament and will look to snap the program’s two-game losing streak against Hawai’i. Pacific is 5-4 all-time against the Rainbow Warriors and fell in the 2019 and 2021 Rainbow Classic tournaments to UH, last beating Hawai’i in Honolulu back in December of 1985. 

Hawai’i is looking for the program’s 16th overall title in the event and has not won the Rainbow Classic since 2017, when current assistant coach Gibson Johnson was a senior co-captain for the UH program. The Rainbow Warriors are looking to start a season 3-0 for the second straight year and fifth overall season under head coach Eran Ganot.