Dec. 24, 2000

Box Score

HONOLULU (AP) - Senior forward Nerijus Puida had career-highs in points and rebounds with 26 and 15 as Hawaii defeated UAB 100-86 in Saturday night's finale of the round-robin Nike Festival.

Phil Martin added 19 points, going 5-5 from the field and 9-10 from the free throw line, as the Rainbows (4-4) won their final two tournament games after dropping the first. After an opening-round victory, the Blazers (6-4) dropped their final two tournament contests.

Puida made the first two baskets of the game and remained hot for the remainder of the first half. From 7:01 to 3:20 of the period, Puida hit five buckets, including two 3-pointers, as the Rainbows surged to a 42-28 lead.

David Walker scored two consecutive hoops with under a minute and a half until intermission to help UAB close to a 48-38 halftime deficit.

Martin led Hawaii in the second half, scoring 14 of his points during the period. The Rainbows had a 68-51 advantage with under 12 minutes left to play when Martin scored after being fouled and converted the free throw.

Hawaii built its biggest bulge at 92-71 with three minutes to go before eventually finishing off the Blazers by 14.

Walker led UAB with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Eric Batchelor chipped in with 16 points.