Nevada uses height to impact game, frustrate UH

The Hawaii basketball team could not overcome foul trouble, missed shots from the free-throw line and beyond the arc, and two late turnovers in Sunday’s 72-66 loss to Nevada in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 3,362 — the largest for a UH home game this season — saw the Rainbow Warriors move into position to tie or take the lead against an opponent that competed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Down 68-66, UH forward Justin McKoy’s drive was stolen by Daniel Foster with 10 seconds to play. Three-tenths of a second later, McKoy fouled Hunter McIntosh, who sank both free throws for a 70-66 lead.

With 4.2 seconds to play, UH point guard JoVon McClanahan was called for a double dribble.

“It was a miscue with the double dribble,” UH coach Eran Ganot said. “You don’t expect that to happen, but it happened.”

Kenan Blackshear, the Wolf Pack’s 6-foot-6, 230-pound point guard, was fouled with 2.3 seconds remaining and his two free throws completed the scoring.

“We fell short,” said Ganot, whose ’Bows dropped to 7-2 ahead of Thursday’s opener of the eight-team Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. “I’m very disappointed in that. We’re very disappointed in that. We’re not going to sit there and pout. We’re going to take a day to recharge, have good practices, and keep improving.”

The ’Bows’ game plan was to contain Nevada’s starting backcourt of Blackshear (16.2 points per game) and Jarod Lucas (16.1). In turn, the Pack’s strategy was to pressure the points — McClanahan and Juan Munoz, who was 8-for-8 on 3s in the first halves of the previous two games. The Wolf Pack rotated defenders on the UH playmakers. In one series, 6-9 post Nick Davidson guarded 5-11 Munoz.

McClanahan missed his four shots and finished with four points. Munoz’s 3 with 11:53 to play was the ’Bows’ third — and final — made shot from behind the arc. The ’Bows finished 3-for-17 on 3-point attempts.

“I thought we did a really good job on both point guards,” Nevada coach Steve Alford said. “We held both those point guards to one field goal. I thought that was a huge key for us.”

With his usual accurate outside shot off the mark, UH guard Noel Coleman found points on drives and free throws. He also held Blackshear to 3-for-9 shooting in the first half. But Coleman missed his four 3-point attempts; McKoy and Harry Rouhliadeff each misfired on three 3s.

UH center Bernardo da Silva scored a game-high 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. But before the first media timeout of the second half, da Silva was assessed his third foul and 7-1 Mor Seck picked up his third and fourth fouls. That forced Rhouliadeff, a 6-9 stretch four, to play center for a stretch.

“It was huge,” Alford said of the ’Bows’ posts incurring foul trouble.

Alford said his team was able to rotate posts Davidson, 6-10 K.J. Hymes, 7-1 Jeriah Coleman and 7-foot Jazz Gardner. “And we can post our guards,” Alford said. “When we post our guards, the (’Bows’) bigs come to help. And we were able to get bigs in foul trouble that way. I thought that was big. It made them adjust their normal sub pattern, and play some guys maybe more minutes than they wanted up front. I think that really helped us.”

Da Silva exited with his fifth foul with UH trailing 64-63 with 1:50 to play. Hymes increased the Pack’s lead to 66-63 with his two ensuing free throws. “I appreciate K.J.,” Alford said of Hymes, who sprained an ankle last week. “I thought he did a good job of fighting through some stuff.”

Nevada converted its final five free throws, hitting 12 of 14 after the intermission. The ’Bows made 13 of 22 second-half free throws.

“We made free throws down the stretch,” said Alford, also noting the Pack scored 11 of the final 17 points. “And that was the difference in the game.”