Round 1 goes to Eran Ganot’s old assistants.
Long Beach State prevailed over the Hawaii men’s basketball team, 76-68, at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday in the first meeting between the teams since former Rainbow Warriors staffer Chris Acker took over the rival Big West program as his first Division I head job.
John Montgomery, a nine-year member of Ganot’s UH staff, joined Acker in the offseason and helped recruit a totally new roster from the one seen in March's improbable Beach run to the NCAA Tournament in Dan Monson’s swan song.
UH (5-3, 0-1 Big West) came up empty on its first road trip of the season that included this “Bold Week” conference opener.
Beach guard Devin Askew, a former top high school recruit who played at Kentucky, Texas and Cal before coming to LBSU, scored a college-career-best 28 points on 9-for-17 shooting, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, with seven assists and seven steals to swing the outcome.
"He was a handful for us in every way," Ganot told Spectrum News in a message. "Got going in transition with his steals as well. Got to the line and made tough 3s late clock. Give him credit."
UH trailed by five points at halftime and attempted to stage a rally from 15 points down in the final four minutes. The ‘Bows got it to seven on on a Marcus Greene 3-pointer with 1:36 left.
But Askew hit the dagger from the top of the arc after taking the shot clock down all the way, giving LBSU (3-8) a 2-0 start to Big West play after it struggled mightily over its first eight games against Division I competition.
"I definitely started feeling it … I was making shots and I kept rolling with it," Askew said of his 17-point second half in LBSU's postgame press conference.
Acker acknowledged afterward that this one meant a little more, given the teams' ties.
"Obviously there’s a relationship there … so added energy in there," Acker said in the presser. "I’m just glad we came out with the win."
Turnovers were again a prime concern for the Rainbow Warriors. They committed 17, including on 10 LBSU steals, leading to a 27-10 advantage for the hosts in points off giveaways. Askew pickpocketed UH guards several times.
"Ultimately our turnovers, our inability to defend without fouling, and finishing around the rim were hard to overcome," Ganot said.
Forward Austin Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds and guard TJ Wainwright also scored 14 for the Beach.
UH won the glass by nine and had a 10-4 advantage in offensive boards, but could not take advantage of it. Center Tanner Christensen had 10 points and 10 rebounds on 4-for-4 shooting and forward Akira Jacobs scored eight of his 11 points during an 11-0 UH run in the first half that allowed it to capture a brief lead.
The Beach brought occasional double teams on Christensen but nothing consistent; the big man appeared unsure against single coverage at points and committed three traveling violations.
Ganot started Greene (17 points) for the second time and forward Gytis Nemeiksa (14) for the first time this season coming off strong games from both players in a six-point loss at Grand Canyon on Tuesday.
They joined Kody Williams, Ryan Rapp and Christensen in the first five.
"The (new) five showed some glimpses," Ganot said.
LBSU went 16-for-17 at the free-throw line.
The teams will rematch in Honolulu on Feb. 13.
"I’m just happy for the guys," Acker said. "They’re earning wins by putting in the work every single day and listening and responding to coaching. We got a long way to go but I like where we are and how we’re progressing."
UH returns home to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6-4) on Saturday.
Note: This story was updated with details and quotes.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.