Hawai’i survives Hawai’i Pacific scare behind Williams’ career night

HONOLULU – With the Midas Touch. 

The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team escaped with a narrow 67-63 victory over Hawai’i Pacific University on Tuesday night, using a scorching hot 15-of-31 shooting display from long distance to sink the Sharks. Kody Williams led the effort for the Rainbow Warriors, pouring in a career-best 24 points on 7-of-8 shooting from downtown. 

The Sharks (2-3) were led by senior guard Sherman Brashear, who recorded 22 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Jonas Visser added 14 points and eight boards in what will count as an exhibition for HPU and not as a loss against the record. 

Hawai’i (5-1) saw the game count towards the team’s overall record in what was the final non-Division I matchup on the 2024-25 schedule. The Rainbow Warriors defeated both Hawai’i-Hilo and Chaminade in competitive exhibition games to begin the year before playing against Life Pacific out of the NAIA for the regular season opener in the Rainbow Classic. 

The Sharks came out of the gates looking less like a team in an exhibition and more like a team on a mission, jumping out to an early 11-5 lead behind buckets from Visser and junior guard Joshua West. After an Avi Halpert three pushed the HPU lead to nine, the Rainbow Warriors started to find success as Gytis Nemeikša snapped a near two-minute scoring drought and Ryan Rapp drilled three straight triples to push Hawai’i in front with just under 12 minutes left in the half, 16-14. 

Each side traded baskets over the next few minutes, seeing Hawai’i go in front by as many as four before HPU rattled off a 13-0 run to take a nine-point advantage with 2:39 remaining before the break. Halpert capped the run with an and-one finish through contact, drawing the second foul on UH starting guard Kody Williams while giving the Sharks a 34-25 lead. 

Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot stuck with Williams despite the foul woes, proving smart as the 6-foot guard drilled a pair of threes in the final two minutes of the half to help pull the Rainbow Warriors within five at the break, 38-33. 

Williams stayed hot through halftime, drilling another two 3-pointers to push Hawai’i back in front just three minutes out of halftime, 40-38. West scored the first points of the second half for HPU with a layup to knot it at 40, but another two triples from Williams helped give the Rainbow Warriors some breathing room with an eight-point lead. 

Nemeikša and Rapp got back in on the fun, adding makes from long range of their own to push Hawai’i’s lead into double figures for the first time with under 12 minutes to play. Sherman Brashear started to heat up for HPU after the under-12-minute media timeout, drilling three straight 3-pointers to bring the Sharks within a handful with 8:52 remaining.

Makes from behind the arc by Pavle Kuzmanovic and Brashear brought the Sharks’ deficit to two with just under three minutes to play as the Division II squad eyed the first win against their Mānoa rivals since 1985. A free throw by Tanner Christensen gave Hawai’i a three-point lead with 2:21 left, but Visser cut it to 62-61 with 36 seconds remaining with his first points since the first half. 

After a timeout, HPU fouled immediately and sent Marcus Greene to the line for a pair of free throws with 29 ticks left on the clock. The senior guard stepped up and drilled both to put the Rainbow Warriors back up by three. 

The Sharks would see their upset dreams dissolve following the team’s final timeout of the night as Charlie Weber tossed it away on a miscommunication with Brasher and Kody Williams hit a couple of foul shots to go up two possessions. Visser made it a three-point game with five seconds left, but Tanner Christensen iced it from the line with a 1-for-2 trip to help Hawai’i survive, 67-63.

The Rainbow Warriors were able to win for the fifth time in six games at home to open the season despite losing the battle on the glass to the Sharks, 39-38. While UH posted a season-low eight points in the point throughout the night, the 15 makes from long range proved to be the major difference. 

Joshua West chipped in nine points, eight rebounds, a steal and an assist for HPU before fouling out with more than two minutes left in regulation. The Sharks led for nearly half the game and showed off major defensive chops until the end, holding Hawai’i to one made field goal on 13 attempts to close the game. 

The Sharks return to action on Friday, hosting Grace Christian (NAIA) in the first day of the men’s side of the Hoops in Hawaii Classic. The Rainbow Warriors will hit the road for the first time this year, traveling to the continent to face Grand Canyon on December 3.