Unshaken and full of spirit in the face of harsh NCAA sanctions, the University of Hawai’i men’s basketball successfully lived in the moment Tuesday night and raced past Northern Iowa, 68-52, for an inspiring opening-round victory in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
Aaron Valdes scored a game-high 15 points and Sai Tummala added 12 points off the bench barely 12 hours after the Rainbow Warriors were handed a 2017 postseason ban and reduced scholarships by the NCAA — the result of an investigation revealing several “Level 2” violations committed in previous years under a different coaching staff.