Box Score

HONOLULU - The Hawai'i men's basketball team out-scored SMU by 23 points in the first half en route to a 71-59 victory, Thursday night, in a Western Athletic Conference match-up at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 10-2 overall and 2-2 in the WAC.

The Mustangs (7-6, 2-3 WAC) played without leading scorer Bryan Hopkins, due to a sprained wrist and guard Derrick Roberts, who injured his knee earlier in the week and did not make the trip. Playing without two starters, the Mustangs still rallied from their poor first half performance and cut the deficit to 10 late in the second half.

For the 'Bows, reserve guard Jake Sottos scored a career-high 17 points to lead four players in double digits. Guard Matt Gibson posted his eighth consecutive double figure scoring game with 14 points, including 12 in the first half. Forward Jeff Blackett added 11 points off the bench and forward Julian Sensley tallied 10 points and nine rebounds.

For the second consecutive game, the 'Bows used an early run to break open the game. A 10-0 spurt put UH on top 10-2 through the first four minutes of the game. The 'Bows quickly pushed their lead to 14-4 after a Blackett jumper.

A 7-0 run with five minutes left gave UH a 32-15 advantage. Hawai'i closed out its hot-shooting half with an 8-1 run to take a 46-23 lead into the locker room. For the half, the 'Bows shot 58.6 percent while limiting SMU to 36.0 percent.

UH extended its lead to 25 in the second half before the Mustangs cut the deficit to as little as 10 with 2:41 remaining. UH shot just 27.6 percent in the second half.

SMU center Eric Castro, the WAC's leader in field goal percentage at 64 percent, shot 5-of-21 from the field and finished with 11 points. Forward Patrick Simpson posted a double-double, with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Devon Pearson scored a game-high 24.

The 'Bows conclude their three-game homestand against Louisiana Tech, Saturday, Jan. 15. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

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