Rainbows roar past Charlotte and face Nebraska in the semifinals

Gytis Nemeiksa scored 24 points and Marcus Greene added 22 to power the Hawaii basketball team to a 78-61 victory over Charlotte and into the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

A crowd of 2,844 at SimpliFi Arena in the Stan Sheriff Center saw Nemeiksa, who transferred from Xavier this summer, match a career high for points. The ‘Bows will face Nebraska in Monday’s 5:30 p.m. game.

Although the ‘Bows struggled from outside in the second half, missing all seven of their 3s, Nemeiksa hit five of eight shots for 12 points after the break. He finished 10-for-14 from the field.

In his fourth start, Greene scored 14 points in the first half, including nine on three 3s, to help the ‘Bows take a 44-31 halftime lead.

Nemeiksa’s hook shot and Greene’s 3 from the left wing gave the ‘Bows a 5-0 lead. They never followed through.

The ‘Bows also used an aggressive man-to-man defense to disrupt the 49ers’ offensive flow. The 49ers missed their first seven shots out of their half court offense. Their only points in unraveling an 11-2 hole came when Nik Graves made a steal and then went coast-to-coast for a lay-in.

Later, the ‘Bows used a 10-0 run to extend a six-point lead to 37-21. Nemeiksa buried two 3s and Greene put a steal into a dunk during that surge. The 49ers averaged 8.7 turnovers per game. game, fewest among the 355 NCAA Division I teams.