Men’s Basketball Outlasts Weber State in OT – University of Hawai’i at Manoa Athletics

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai’i men’s basketball team got a stellar performance from Tanner Christensen and put the defensive clamps on after halftime to pull out a 73-68 overtime win over Weber State Sunday at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
 
Christensen scored 25 points on 10-for-11 shooting from the field before fouling out with 3:36 left in overtime to help the Rainbow Warriors improve to 4-0. The graduate transfer hit his first nine shots of the game and scored 20 points by halftime. His layup with six seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime. 
 
Harry Rouhliadeff scored 11 of his 12 points after halftime, including two free throws that triggered a decisive 8-0 UH run in overtime. Gytis Nemeiksa added 10 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Tom Beattie went 8 for 10 from the free-throw line and also finished with 10 points. 
 
UH needed all of that to counter the production of Weber State’s Blaise Thrett, who hit 11 of 18 shots from the field and went 5 for 5 from the line to post a game-high 27 points for the Wildcats (1-3).
 
After Weber State shot nearly 59 percent from the field in the first half, the UH defense limited the Wildcats to a 6-for-25 (24 percent) shooting performance in the second. The Wildcats went 0 for 8 from 3-point range in the second half until Miguel Tomley connected from long distance to give Weber State a 60-58 lead at the 4:28 mark of overtime. UH then held the Wildcats without a field goal for the next 4:13 and led by as many as eight before fending off Weber State’s final comeback bid.
 
UH finished 26 for 40 from the free-throw line, going 12 for 18 in the overtime period. 
 
The first meeting between the schools  in 49 years was nip-and-tuck for much of the first half  as Weber State clung to a 26-25 lead with less than five minutes left in the first half. But the Wildcats began to create distance and fueled by a stretch of hitting 9-of-11 shots, built a nine-point lead before taking a 38-31 lead into the locker room. 
 
The Wildcats 59 percent shooting offset a monster first half from Christensen. The 6-10 center was flawless in the first half, hitting all eight of his shots from the field and four from the free-throw line for 20 first-half points that kept UH in it. 
 

Tanner is a man among boys so far tonight. 💪🏽#ManaOhana x #GoBows pic.twitter.com/83lVC13Kde

— HAWAII BASKETBALL (@HawaiiMBB) November 18, 2024

The rest of the team shot 3-of-15 in the first half, and UH found itself  in a double-digit hole, 43-33, less than five minutes into the second half.
 
Nemeiska’s bucket with 9:30 left pulled UH within two, 46-44, and Kody Williams hit a 3-pointer at the 6:37 mark to push the ‘Bows ahead 49-48 and cap a 12-3 run. 
 
There would be five more ties in the final 6:17 of regulation, the last coming on Christensen’s bucket inside to tie the game at 57-57 with six seconds left. Weber State elected not to use a timeout and Threatt’s shot at the buzzer was off the mark to force overtime. 
 

UH 57 WSU 57 | End of 2H

We are going to OT! Tanner Christensen with the bucket with 6.7 seconds to knot it up!#ManaOhana x #GoBows 🌈 pic.twitter.com/cE84huGw1C

— HAWAII BASKETBALL (@HawaiiMBB) November 18, 2024

 
UH led 64-60 on Nemeiska’s layup cutting to the basket off an assist from Ryan Rapp, who saw his first game action of the season. Moments later, a technical foul on the Weber State bench gave UH four free throws. Beattie and Nemeiska combined to make three to extend UH’s lead to seven and the ‘Bows managed to fend off the Wildcats the rest of the way. 
 

Teamwork makes the dream work!#ManaOhana x #GoBows pic.twitter.com/sxD59G4Syb

— HAWAII BASKETBALL (@HawaiiMBB) November 18, 2024

 
The Rainbow Warriors next play a highly-anticipated game vs. No. 10 North Carolina on Friday, Nov. 22. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. 
 

#HawaiiMBB