HONOLULU --
JoVon McClanahan drained a game-winning three-pointer with less than a second remaining to lift the Hawai'i men's basketball team to a 58-57 win and its first-ever Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic title on Christmas Day.
McClanahan's last-second shot gave the Rainbow Warriors (9-3) their only lead of the second half, as they came back from behind by as many as 12 points for the thrilling victory. After the Mustangs missed back-to-back front ends of 1-and-1 free throw opportunities, McClanahan took the in-bounds from under his own basket, dribbled up the middle of the floor and drained a pull-up three from about 30 feet away to send the SimpliFii Arena at Stan Sheriff Center into a frenzy.
UH, which trailed 31-22 at halftime and 46-36 at the 10:16 mark, closed on a 22-11 run the rest of the way. The 'Bows held SMU (5-8) scoreless over the final 2:02 of the game while
Noel Coleman hit a number of big shots down the stretch, highlighted by a three-pointer to cut the UH deficit to two with 1:41 left, setting the stage for McClanahan.
With a pair of starters saddled with foul trouble, Hawai'i also got a number of key contributions from its bench, as
Beon Riley and
Mor Seck combined for 22 points and nine rebounds. Riley tied for the team-lead with 13 points and played key minutes down the stretch, while Seck scored a season-high nine points and grabbed six boards and delivered some strong play in the paint.
Bernardo da Silva played limited minutes in the first half, but scored 11 of his 13 points in the scintillating second half - while grabbing five boards. Coleman ended with nine points, scoring seven of them in the final eight minutes, while dishing out a team-high four assists.
The Rainbow Warriors, winners of four straight games, will now turn their attention to conference play, opening up their Big West schedule against UC Davis on Thursday, Dec. 29. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
Sunday's Results
7th Place: Seattle 85, George Washington 67
5th Place: Iona 76, Pepperdine 66
3rd Place: Utah State 82, Washington State 73
Championship: Hawai'i 58, SMU 57
All-Tournament Team
Steven Ashworth, Utah State
Noel Coleman, Hawai'i
Nelly Joseph Junior, Iona
Zhuric Phelps, SMU
JoVon McClanahan, Hawai'i (MVP)
#HawaiiMBB
