The Hawaii basketball team controlled the boards, the ball and Life Pacific for a 96-61 loss in Friday night’s opening round of the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 2,138 saw the Rainbow Warriors leverage a 43-20 advantage in rebounds, including 15-4 off the offensive glass. The ‘Bows also had a 23-0 edge in second-chance points. The ‘Bows committed just five turnovers, and only one after intermission.

Akira Jacobs led the ‘Bows’ with 20 points. Gytis Nemeiksa and Kody Williams each contributed 14 points.

The ‘Bows meet San Jose State in Sunday’s second round. Pacific defeated San Jose State 80-67 in the first game of the doubleheader.

All the mistakes the ‘Bows had done to themselves in two previous games – 53 turnovers, 10-for-34 shooting on 3s – were erased by taking a 56-29 halftime lead.

The ‘Bows committed just four turnovers and shot 8-for-15 from behind the arc, including five of their first seven. Williams, a surprise starter at guard, and Jacobs each scored 14 points in the first half. Williams drained all four of his threes and unleashed the ‘Bows’ fast break.

Jacobs, who was moving to his more natural position on the wing, went 4-for-5 in the first half, including two threes.

The ‘Bows played with four guards in the first half, all of whom showed sparks. Tom Beattie, who shared the point with Williams, hit all five of his shots, four of which resulted in layups. Marcus Greene, a transfer from Houston Christian, had a stellar game on intermission. A defender looked at a player on the wing and broke away to cover the expected pass. Instead, Greene used a crossover move to slide into the cleared lane for a layup.

The ‘Bows dominated the first half boards, building a 26-8 lead.