While some may view this week as the “Local Kine Grindz” soft part of the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball schedule, the Rainbow Warriors looked at UH-Hilo as more than just bite-sized Big Island candy.
The undersized Vulcans indeed played hard and hung tough for more than a half Tuesday night, but UH’s Aaron Valdes scored a game-high 33 points — including 22 in the first half — and grabbed seven rebounds and Isaac Fleming added 17 points, seven assists and six boards to help the Rainbow Warriors pull away, 86-67, in non-conference action.
A mellow gathering of 2,145 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Stefan Jovanovic add 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting as UH improved to 6-1, including 6-0 at home.