Hawaii Men lose, Wahine Win in Thursday Hoops

By Rodney S. Yap

A short-handed University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team suffered a disappointing 74-70 loss to Louisiana Tech Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors dropped to 10-8 overall and 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference with its second straight setback.

Raheem Appleby poured in 28 points, the highest individual output by a UH opponent this year, to help the Bulldogs (9-10, 1-3 WAC) snap a four-game losing streak and pick up their first conference win of the year.

UH, meanwhile, dropped its second straight league game in the closing seconds after opening league play 2-0. The Rainbow Warrriors played without senior captains Zane Johnson and Jeremiah Ostrowski who were both sidelined. The Bows also went the final five minutes of the game without its other captain, Vander Joaquim, who fouled out.

Joston Thomas led UH with 22 points and six rebounds, while Joaquim added 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks before exiting with his fifth foul. Shaquille Stokes chipped in 10 points and five assists.

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In Wahine basketball, Hawai’i (6-11, 1-1 WAC) looks to build upon its win over Louisiana Tech in their WAC home opener, 61-46 on Thursday night as they continue conference action Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH hosts New Mexico State (4-14, 1-2).

Meanwhile, sophomore Kamilah Jackson posted her ninth double-double of the season with game-highs of 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead UH to the rare win over the Lady Techsters. Freshman point guard Alissa Campanero came through in the clutch, sinking nine of her 11 points in the last four minutes of the game — including going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and draining a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down that sealed the win. Hawai`i also got strong showings from senior Breanna Arbuckle and sophomore Sydney Haydel. Both added nine points with Arbuckle chipping in with eight rebounds, three assists and she tied her season-high with four blocked shots. It was just UH’s fourth win over Louisiana Tech, who still holds a commanding 24-4 series lead. The Bows last defeated the Lady Techsters on March 6, 2008 in Honolulu, 84-77.

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In Warrior football, Hawai’i head coach Norm Chow completed his inaugural coaching staff with the addition of Chris Demarest as special teams and defensive assistant.

Demarest comes to UH from East Stroudsburg University, where he coached the special teams and defensive backs. He has 17 years of Division I coaching experience including stops at Florida State, North Carolina State, and Rutgers.

“I’ve known Chris since our days at North Carolina State and I saw what an outstanding recruiter he is,” Chow said on Wednesday. “I’ve followed his career and we’ve both kept in touch throughout the years. He’ll be a great asset to our staff.”

Demarest joins Thom Kaumeyer, Tommy Lee, Daronte Jones, Lewis Powell, Phillip Rauscher, Tony Tuioti, Keith Uperesa and Chris Wiesehan on Chow’s staff.

In other football news, Coachingsearch.com reported Thursday that former Hawaii offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich will serve as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at UMASS.