2008 Woodie Awards
New Warriors' comeback cut short in season opener
David Nishimoto
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: Sports
A crowd of 4,623 fans got the first chance to see a new Hawai‘i men's basketball team in a rebuilding year under new head coach Bob Nash at the Stan Sheriff Center Friday night.
In their first game of the season against the San Diego Toreros, the Rainbow Warriors almost pulled off an impressive comeback win but ultimately faltered in the closing seconds to lose 73-72.
"We kept chipping away (at the lead) and built confidence," senior point guard and Bob Nash's on Bobby Nash said. "It came down to one possession."
The Warriors struggled throughout the first half, making 10 of 30 field goal attempts and trailing by as many as 14 points. The Toreros made seven 3-pointers in the first half, with Brandon Johnson making all three of his shots from behind the arc.
Early in the second half, Hawai‘i cruised on a 14-6 run and brought the team within two points at 46-44. The Warriors eventually tied the game at 70-70 with a 3-point dagger from senior guard Jared Dillinger with 1:14 left in the game. After a timeout, Dillinger stole the ball and Riley Luettgerodt gave Hawai‘i its first lead of the game with 41 seconds remaining.
"First half, I thought we came in, we were a little tentative; we got ourselves into a little of a hold, but we needed to extend ourselves," head coach Nash said. "In the second half, we did a really nice job; we got ourselves into a position to tie the game and win the game. We had a turnover down the stretch that put it out of reach for us."
The Warriors also played the game without key point guard Matt Gibson, who sat out due to an injured left knee.
"It's going to take a week for him to get healthy. It's not a prolonged injury," Bob Nash said. "It's just a matter of getting a little bit of rest."
Without Gibson, Bob Nash and his coaching staff had to rearrange their lineups and play with different rotations. The starting five for the Warriors were Bobby Nash, Dillinger, Luettgerodt, Bill Amis and Stephen Verwers at center.
In their first game of the season against the San Diego Toreros, the Rainbow Warriors almost pulled off an impressive comeback win but ultimately faltered in the closing seconds to lose 73-72.
"We kept chipping away (at the lead) and built confidence," senior point guard and Bob Nash's on Bobby Nash said. "It came down to one possession."
The Warriors struggled throughout the first half, making 10 of 30 field goal attempts and trailing by as many as 14 points. The Toreros made seven 3-pointers in the first half, with Brandon Johnson making all three of his shots from behind the arc.
Early in the second half, Hawai‘i cruised on a 14-6 run and brought the team within two points at 46-44. The Warriors eventually tied the game at 70-70 with a 3-point dagger from senior guard Jared Dillinger with 1:14 left in the game. After a timeout, Dillinger stole the ball and Riley Luettgerodt gave Hawai‘i its first lead of the game with 41 seconds remaining.
"First half, I thought we came in, we were a little tentative; we got ourselves into a little of a hold, but we needed to extend ourselves," head coach Nash said. "In the second half, we did a really nice job; we got ourselves into a position to tie the game and win the game. We had a turnover down the stretch that put it out of reach for us."
The Warriors also played the game without key point guard Matt Gibson, who sat out due to an injured left knee.
"It's going to take a week for him to get healthy. It's not a prolonged injury," Bob Nash said. "It's just a matter of getting a little bit of rest."
Without Gibson, Bob Nash and his coaching staff had to rearrange their lineups and play with different rotations. The starting five for the Warriors were Bobby Nash, Dillinger, Luettgerodt, Bill Amis and Stephen Verwers at center.
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