For the first time in 21 years, the University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors have won back-to-back Rainbow Classic titles, defending their crown at the longest-running preseason tournament in the country.
Hawai‘i controlled the first two days of the tournament, routing Mississippi Valley State (1–5) 88–56 and Manhattan (3–2) 86–56. Senior center Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson posted 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Manhattan, setting up a championship matchup with Utah Tech.
The Warriors led 30–21 at halftime before Utah Tech (3–4) opened the second half with a surge, cutting the deficit to four.
With 13:49 remaining and Hawai‘i up 36–30, graduate guard Dre Bullock drove the baseline and threw down a one-handed dunk to push the lead to 38–30. The Stan Sheriff Center erupted as Bullock took flight.
“I’m getting used to it,” Bullock said about rising above the rim. “Whenever I get two feet in the paint, it’s only up from there.”
Bullock finished with 23 points, five rebounds, and two assists for the South Dakota transfer.
Utah Tech stayed within striking distance, pulling within two with 5:49 left. On the next possession, Johnson backed down his defender and dropped in a hook shot to extend the lead to 53–49 with 5:30 remaining.
The Trailblazers answered again, cutting it to three on a 3-pointer by Chance Trujillo.
Bullock responded once more, crashing in for a tip-in and drawing a foul for an and-one that gave Hawai‘i a 61–56 lead with 2:12 to play.
“My job on offense is to crash the boards,” Bullock said. “It happened to go in.”
Hawai‘i closed it out from there, securing the 59th annual Rainbow Classic title and successfully defending last year’s championship.
“For me personally, the people have the same pride for us as the state of Hawai‘i,” Johnson said. “It’s amazing to be able to bring that to them and show them that their pride is not ill-placed. They can be proud of us, and we’ll go out there and give them a show.”
The Warriors (4–1) return to Bankoh Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center at 7 p.m. Thursday to face Arizona State (2–1).