Arkansas dances past Rainbows in NCAA first round
PORTLAND — The Hawaii basketball team’s season came to an exhaustive end today in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas overpowered the Rainbow Warriors 97-78 at Moda Center. The SEC-champion Razorbacks thinned the paint with 64 points in the low post, including 17 layups and 11 dunks.
The Razorbacks also were able to force contact on drives. They hit 15 of 17 free throws. The ’Bows were 6-for-11 from the stripe.
Dre Bullock led the ’Bows with 21 points, and center Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson contributed 15. But the ’Bows could not overcome an erratic start nor sustain periodic surges. The ’Bows finished the season 24-9.
In what was emblematic of Hawaii’s struggles, Hunter Erickson’s apparent 30-foot shot as time expired at the half was retroactively ruled to have been launched after the horn sounded. The fourth-seeded Razorbacks scored the first 11 points and led 26-6 with 11:37 left in the half. The ’Bows had open looks at an unforgiving rim.
They missed 12 of their first 15 shots, including seven taken from behind the arc. The Razorbacks’ dynamic freshman backcourt was able to set the pace. Darius Acuff, the SEC’s leader in scoring and assists, produced 24 points.