Hawaii doles out loss to UI

MOSCOW, Idaho – Another spirited effort, another tough home loss.

The Idaho Vandals couldn’t hang on to a 10-point halftime lead, couldn’t get defensive stops in the second half and couldn’t get a last-second 3-pointer to fall as Hawaii escaped with a 70-66 men’s basketball victory Wednesday in front of 1,166 at Memorial Gym.

“They just get harder,” shrugged UI junior guard Keoni Watson, who scored a game-high 22 points. “For us to be up 10 at half, come out in the second half and miss a couple of assignments and we’re down 10. We kept fighting, but to come up with a loss, it’s very difficult.”

Idaho, which fell 74-68 to conference-leading Nevada on Monday, has dropped five straight and 15 out of its last 16. The Vandals (4-21, 1-12) have won once since Christmas. Hawaii, sparked by Julian Sensley’s 16 second-half points, improved to 15-9, 8-5.

The Vandals rode a flurry of jump shots, including five 3-pointers, to a 31-17 lead with 7:30 left in the first half. Hawaii’s considerable size advantage paid off in an 8-0 run, but Idaho responded as Watson hit a pair of buckets for a 37-27 halftime lead.

The Vandals had two turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Sensley, who passed the 1,000-point career mark earlier this season, was limited to three points on three field-goal attempts.

Sensley and his teammates did an about-face in the second half, beginning with Sensley’s 3-pointer in the first minute. Another Sensley jumper pulled Hawaii within 49-46 and was followed by a telling sequence. Idaho got sloppy on the inbounds pass and Deonte Tatum’s steal and three-point play evened the score.

“In the first half we were intense,” said UI senior guard Tanoris Shepard, who struggled with his shooting en route to a 12-point effort in his final home game. “In the second half we got content a slight bit. Guys stopped rotating and stopped talking and it showed. They hit some big shots on us.”

Chris Botez’s layup gave Hawaii the lead for good at 51-49. Idaho tried to counter, but Desmond Nwoke and Igor Vrzina missed from point-blank range and David Dubois’ shot was rejected by the 7-foot Botez, one of Hawaii’s seven second-half blocks.

Hawaii, which shot 71.4 percent (15 of 21) in the second half, led by as many as 10 and was on top 67-62 after Sensley’s 3-pointer with 3 minutes remaining.

“The guy is an NBA player,” Idaho coach Leonard Perry said of Sensley. “He can shoot the 3, he can put it on the floor, and he can pass. You can’t shut that guy down for 40 minutes.”

Idaho closed within 67-66 on Mike Kale’s putback with 46.3 seconds left. Hawaii’s Ahmet Gueye, who had nine of his 15 points in the second half, drew a foul on the low block and hit both free throws with 10.6 seconds remaining.

The Vandals, who made only one 3-pointer in the final 27 minutes, drew up a play for Brett Ledbetter, their best perimeter shooter. He had a good look from the left wing but couldn’t connect. Matt Lojeski’s free throw sealed Hawaii’s second WAC road win.

Idaho visits New Mexico State on Saturday and Louisiana Tech on Monday.