Saturday WAC news and notes

Belly distended -- well, more than usual to be honest and probably an overshare -- we return with a post-Christmas version of PTW.

Hawaii fell to St. Mary's 84-5 -- a UH team minus Roderick Flemings who is ailing:

Williams' 36 not enough
The guard's effort is wasted as the Rainbow Warriors fall to Saint Mary's in the Diamond Head Classic third-place game
Brian McInnis
Honolulu Star Bulletin
December 26, 2009

Dwain Williams was the gift who kept on giving.

Unfortunately for the Rainbow Warriors, the unwrapping of Williams on Christmas wasn't enough to get past Saint Mary's, as the Gaels took third place in the inaugural Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic with an 84-75 win at the Stan Sheriff Center.

An ESPN2 audience and crowd of 2,538 watched as the transfer guard from Providence went for a career-high 36 points in vain. Thanks mostly to Omar Samhan's 24 points and a team effort of 29-for-31 at the free-throw line, the Gaels (11-2) had an answer every time the Rainbows (6-6) crept within single digits in the final 10 minutes...

Go here for the remainder.

Dayton Morinaga provides his game report:

UH falls to Saint Mary's
With Flemings out, Williams scores 36 points in 84-75 loss
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser
December 26, 2009

A Christmas tree might still look good without a star on it, but it's just not complete.

The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team was sort of like that yesterday in an 84-75 loss to Saint Mary's in the third-place game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

A Christmas afternoon crowd of 2,538 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Warriors drop to 6-6, including a 1-2 record and fourth-place finish in the eight-team Diamond Head Classic.

The 'Bows played without star forward Roderick Flemings, who was not in uniform due to a knee injury he suffered in Hawai'i's previous game on Wednesday...

Go here for the remainder.

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Tony Jones offers two blog posts: one about USU's team identity and the second about Brian Green

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Teddy Feinberg features Jahmar Young in an extensive article.

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Just for fun and enjoyment: Kyle Whelliston tells us in the manner only he can about his Christmas Eve. You won't find a heckuva lot about basketball in it but the compelling writing and observations make it worthwhile. He also writes about the Sports Bubble -- don't mistake him for the Bubble Boy -- here, another must-read.