The University of Hawaii shot 59 percent in the first half on Sunday night, building a 17-point halftime advantage that paved the way to a 91-51 men’s basketball victory over the University of Maine in Honolulu.
Coach Richard Barron’s Black Bears (3-10) made the 5,000-plus-mile journey — the longest in college basketball — only to suffer their fourth consecutive defeat. It was their most lopsided loss of the season.
Hawaii (9-5) shot 59 percent for the game (32-for-55) and outscored UMaine 44-26 in the paint. The hosts also came away with a 38-22 rebounding advantage.
Eddie Stansberry (3 steals) paced the Rainbow Warriors with 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting, including a 4-for-8 effort from the 3-point line. Hawaii outscored UMaine 20-5 from the foul line.
Samuta Avea (3 blocked shots) tossed in 17 points, Justin Webster netted 12 and Bernardo Da Silva (6 rebounds) posted 11 for the winners.
Sergio El Darwich led a balanced scoring ledger for the Black Bears with 11 points. Miks Antoms (3 assists) tallied 10 points, while Mykhailo Yagodin and Stephane Ingo (5 rebounds) provided nine points each. Andrew Fleming finished with eight points and five rebounds.
UMaine committed 12 turnovers that led to 17 Hawaii points.
Hawaii, which scored the first 10 points of the contest, took control with a 13-4 first-half run. Yagodin’s 3-pointer had pulled UMaine within 29-18 at the 8:01 mark, before the hosts stretched the lead.
Drew Buggs opened the spurt with a basket from the paint, then added another hoop from the lane after a Fleming turnover. Two Zigmars Raimo free throws were countered by Fleming’s bucket from the paint.
However, Avea threw down a dunk and Da Silva scored from close range on the front end of a conventional three-point play that gave the Rainbow Warriors a 42-22 lead with 4:17 remaining in the half.
The Black Bears couldn’t get closer than 17 points the rest of the way.
UMaine returns Thursday to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor for a non-conference game against Columbia.