GAME NOTES: Having already won four games, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors will go for their fifth win of the young season as they clash with the San Francisco Dons in the Gulf Coast Showcase at Germain Arena on Monday.

Hawaii opened the season participating in the Outrigger Resorts Rainbow Classic, and picked up two wins with a loss in that season-opening tournament. Since then, the Warriors have added wins against UH Hilo and, most recently, Pittsburgh by a 74-70 margin.

San Francisco is 2-0 to start the season with wins over South Carolina State, 91-52, and Notre Dame de Namur, 86-46, in the team's latest outing. Now the Dons face off against Hawaii with a chance to improve to 3-0 in the early season.

The two programs have met 14 times on the floor in their history, with this meeting representing the 15th time they will clash. San Francisco leads Hawaii, 10-4, in the all-time series, and has taken the last two contests against the Warriors.

Hawaii had an intense battle with Pittsburgh at home Friday night that led to a four-point victory for the Rainbow Warriors. Hawaii shot 52.9 percent from the floor in the contest, and made 13-of-18 shots from the free-throw line. Isaac Flemming netted a team-high 15 points, while Mike Thomas contributed 12 points in the win. Garrett Nevels nearly had a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds, and Negus Webster-Chan chipped in with 11 points of his own. Aaron Valdes rounded out the group of double-digit scorers for the Warriors with 10 points in the contest.

Valdes leads a group of three players that average a double-digit point total for Hawaii through five games, netting 15.2 ppg on 56.8 percent shooting from the floor. His 6.4 rpg average is also a team best. Nevels contributes 11.2 ppg for Hawaii, and Roderick Bobbitt nets 10.4 ppg, also sporting a team-best 30 assists through five games played. The Warriors are scoring an average of 74.8 ppg, and are keeping opponents at 65.0 ppg.

San Francisco dominated Notre Dame de Namur in the most recent outing for the Dons, who won the game by 40 points after shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. Kruize Pinkins notched an impressive double-double in the win, netting 26 points with 13 rebounds to lead the Dons. Tim Derksen and Chris Adams each chipped in with 11 points, and Mark Tollefsen added another 10 points to top it off. The team held Notre Dame de Namur to 34.7 percent shooting in the contest.

The competition against the Dons through two games has been seriously underwhelming, which is why San Francisco is averaging 88.5 ppg and is only allowing 49.0 ppg to opponents. That will change against Hawaii, which has a much more explosive offense than any of the two teams the Dons have faced. Pinkins leads San Fran in both scoring (21.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg) categories, and shoots 72.7 percent from the floor through two games. Derksen (12.5 ppg) and Tollefsen (12.0 ppg) are second and third on the team in scoring, while Adams (11.0 ppg) rounds out the team's double-digit scorers list.

This is easily the most competitive team San Francisco will play through its first three contests, as Hawaii has already taken down a big-name program like Pittsburgh. The Dons have a very well-rounded lineup, and can use their stifling defense to their advantage against the Warriors.