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HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team got its first taste of live action for the 2012-13 season with a 75-67 win over Hawai`i Pacific  in an exhibition contest Friday at the Stan Sheriff Center.
 
UH led by double-digits for much of the game, but needed to hold off a feisty HPU squad to secure the win. It marked the second straight year that the Rainbow Warriors defeated the Sea Warriors in preseason exhibition action and the second time that it proved competitive down the stretch.
 
Junior forward Christian Standhardinger led the way for the Rainbow Warriors with a double-double performance, notching 20 points and 15 rebounds. Three other Rainbow Warriors finished in double-digit scoring. Senior forward Hauns Brereton scored all but two of his 15 points in the first half, while newcomers Brandon Spearman (11 points) and Isaac Fotu (10) also provided some crucial buckets.  
 
Malte Ziegenhagen paced HPU with 19 points.
 
UH got off to a blazing start, hitting seven of its first nine shots to stake a 16-3 lead just five minutes in. The 'Bows maintained that double-digit lead for much of the half. The Sea Warriors, however, scored eight unanswered in the closing minutes to make it 36-32 at break.
 
The 'Bows seized back momentum to start the second half, going on a 11-2 run to reclaim a double-digit advantage, one they would build throughout the half.  The Sea Warriors, who buried seven three-pointers and 24 free throws in the game, would not go away. HPU cut the UH lead to just four points with less than two minutes remaining, but that would be as close as it would get as the Bows clamped down on defense and hit the necessary free throws
 
Despite missing all-conference center Vander Joaquim, UH held a distinct advantage inside where they out-scored HPU, 36-16, in the paint. The Bows out-rebounded HPU, 48-25, with 21 of their rebounds coming on the offensive glass.
 
The Rainbow Warriors will officially open the regular-season versus Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Rainbow Classic. Joining UH and UMES in the round-robin tournament are Arkansas Pine-Bluff and Houston Baptist.