Box Score

HONOLULU - The Hawai'i men's basketball team moved into a tie for second place in the Western Athletic Conference standings after a come-from-behind 61-56 victory over New Mexico State, Thursday night, in a Western Athletic Conference match-up at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors (17-9, 10-5 WAC) again rallied from a double-digit deficit for the victory, the fifth time in the last six games.

Much like the team's earlier meeting when the 'Bows let a double-digit lead slip away, the Aggies led by as many as 12 in the first half before seeing it disappear thanks to a 22-6 UH run. In the second half, the Aggies rallied back and erased an eight-point deficit to pull within one late.

With the 'Bows holding a three-point lead with 14.5 seconds left, UH guard Matt Lojeski sank two free throws. After a Shaun Davis banker, the Aggies fouled Lojeski again, but the junior calmly converted two more to seal the Hawai'i victory.

Otherwise Lojeski had an off-night missing on six of his nine attempt and finishing with 11 points. However, the Racine, Wisc., native grabbed a career-high nine boards and played the entire 40 minutes.

Forward Julian Sensley scored a game-high 22 points and just missed out on a double-double with nine rebounds. As a team, the 'Bows out-rebounded the Aggies 35-to-23 despite forwards Ahmet Gueye and Matthew Gipson plagued with foul trouble. Guard Deonte Tatum scored all 11 of his points in the first half.

NMSU (15-13, 10-6) was led by forward Tyrone Nelson's 16 points and eight rebounds. Davis added 14 points and four assists while David Fisher poured in 12. Starting guard Elijah Ingram sat out the game due to a nagging hamstring injury.

The Aggies raced out to a 16-5 lead and forced the 'Bows into early foul trouble. NMSU extended its lead to 23-11 before UH answered with a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to pull within two. Tatum's 3-pointer with 3:25 left gave UH its first lead at 28-27 followed by Sensley's baseline jumper with shot clock winding down.

The 'Bows entered the half with a 32-29 halftime lead after out-scoring the Aggies 22-6 in the final 11:06 of the half. Tatum led UH with 11 points while Sensley had nine. Gueye left with eight minutes remaining after picking up his third personal foul.

UH scored the first five points of the second half to extend its lead to 37-29. The Aggies converted their first field goal in nearly 11 minutes since the first half to pull within 37-34 after a Davis 3-pointer. The 'Bows pushed their lead back to eight before the Aggies scored seven unanswered to close to within one, 42-41 midway through the half.

The 'Bows conclude the regular season by hosting Louisiana Tech, Saturday, on "Senior Night." Tip-off is 5:05 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center. The game is billed a "White-Out" and all fans are encouraged to wear white shirts. Seniors Julian Sensley, Deonte Tatum, Chris Botez, and Matthew Gipson will be honored following the game.

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