HONOLULU — The University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Warrior basketball team plays its first road game of the season when faces Illinois at 3 p.m., Monday, at Assembly Hall. This will be Hawai‘i’s second trip to Champaign, Ill. (69-65 loss in
HONOLULU — The University of Hawai‘i Rainbow Warrior basketball team plays its first road game of the season when faces Illinois at 3 p.m., Monday, at Assembly Hall.
This will be Hawai‘i’s second trip to Champaign, Ill. (69-65 loss in 1991), and just the sixth-ever trip into Big Ten territory. Monday night’s game will also be a re-match of last year’s meeting in Honolulu won by the Illini, 79-77.
Hawai‘i led by 13 points with 12 minutes remaining before the Illini stormed back. Calvin Brock’s layup with eight seconds remaining proved the game-winner.
The ‘Bows have built some momentum as of late with three straight wins, all in a comeback fashion. Hawai‘i is led by junior guard Roderick Flemings (17.0 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game) and the frontcourt tandem of Bill Amis (12.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg) and Petras Balocka (11.8 ppg, .548 field goal percentage.
Illinois received votes in the latest AP and Coaches polls after winning its first six games to start the season. The Illini suffered its first loss of the year at home to Clemson, 76-74, on Dec. 3 and will play Georgia at the United Center in Chicago tonight before facing Hawai‘i on Monday.
Following its game versus Illinois, Hawai‘i returns home to play eight straight homes games through early January, beginning with a matchup versus Eastern Washington next week.
