UH Vs. UTEP (12/13/25)
In its first matchup against the University of Texas El Paso Miners since 2019, the University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team got the last say, 66-61, at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday to conclude their 11-game homestand! It was also Hawaiʻi's sixth straight win of the season and their final non-conference game of the season.
Harry Rouhliadeff tied his career-high with 22 points to lead the 'Bows; he also chipped in seven rebounds and a block. Dre Bullock was next in line with 15 points and six rebounds.
Jamal West Jr. and Kaseem Watson led the Miners with 12 points each, with West adding seven rebounds to Watson's five. Elijah Jones and Trey Horton III added 10 each, with Jones also pouring in seven rebounds to Horton's five; Horton was also 3-of-6 from 3-point range and included a triple at the buzzer in the second half.
UH led early, 7-3, but UTEP used its physicality early to cause a lot of erratic play from UH. UTEP then went on a 21-3 run, including 15 unanswered, to take as much as a 14-point lead.
As for UH, it was a frustrating nine-minute scoring drought with their next 13 shots missed from the field. Rouhliadeff broke that drought with a triple with 7:41 left. It was the beginning of 18 final points for UH!
The 'Bows ended the first half on an 18-5 run, which was punctuated by a Hunter Erickson floater at the buzzer! UH committed just five turnovers in the first half and trailed, 29-25, at halftime!
Rouhliadeff led UH with 12 points by halftime.
Like the first half, UH began the second half scoring the first five points and took the lead! A Bullock three-point play with 15:10 remaining put UH up, 38-34.
UTEP showed they were stingy and answered with a 13-4 run to take a 47-42 lead! It was punctuated on back-to-back triples by KJ Thomas.
But UH was never intimidated. With 5:56 remaining, Aaron Hunkin-Claytor drilled a corner triple to put UH in the lead for good, 50-49! It was part of a 10-2 UH run!
UTEP had one last chance after a West jumper put them down, 52-51, with 4:42 to go. Their last chance was ruined at the hands of UH's Rouhliadeff!
Rouhliadeff scored UH's next seven points, and teammate Gytis Nemeikša punctuated what was a 9-0 UH run with a dunk with 1:24 to go! Bullock also hit three critical free throws with 22 seconds left!
As a last hurrah for UTEP, Horton nailed a buzzer-beating triple for the final score!
UH improves to 10-2 in the 2025-26 season. They will have the rest of December off before returning to Big West Conference play at UC Riverside on Jan. 1, 2026. Tipoff at the SRC Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m. HST, and you can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch the game on Spectrum SportsNet.
