Freshman Bernardo Da Silva scored a career-high 17 points including the go-ahead layup with 1:29 remaining — to help Hawaii’ rally past Texas-El Paso, 67-63, in the opening round of the 11th Annual Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
A vocal and intense crowd of about 4,200 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Samuta Avea add 16 points and eight rebounds as the Warriors improved to 8-3 and advanced to Monday’s 6 p.m. semifinal against Washington. UTEP, which was led by Bryson Williams’ game-high 33 points, will face Ball State at 8:30 p.m. in the consolation bracket.
The Miners had led, 37-31, at halftime and kept the lead for most of the second half, until Da Silva tied it at 58-58 with a slam dunk at the 3:09 mark.