Box Score

HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i men's basketball team stayed tough at home with a 61-57 win over Long Beach State Sunday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 3-4 on the season.

Hawai`i led for nearly the entire game and enjoyed a 16-point lead with just under nine minutes, but the outcome was in doubt up until the final seconds. UH ultimately held off the 49ers (2-6) to win its third straight game at home with just enough offensive firepower and an opportunistic defense that registered a season-high 15 steals.

The 49ers committed a total of 24 turnovers and the 'Bows capitalized scoring nearly half (30) of its points off those miscues. Meanwhile, UH displayed crisp offensive execution as 23 of its 25 field goals were assisted.

Riley Luettgerodt led Hawai`i with 13 points and eight rebounds, while Matt Gibson added 12 points and five assists. Bobby Nash scored all 11 of his points in the first half and also chipped in five assists.

Donovan Morris led the 49ers with a game-high 24 points.

UH took a 9-8 lead less than five minutes into the game and never trailed again. The 'Bows enjoyed double-digit leads in both halves and held a six-point lead at the break. Hawai`i was firing on all cylinders midway through the second half as a P.J. Owsley bucket capped a 10-0 run and gave UH its biggest lead of the game, 54-38 with 9:08 remaining.

UH stumbled down the stretch, however, scoring just seven points the rest of the way. The 49ers mounted a comeback as a Morris three-point play made it a just four-point deficit with a little more than two minutes left. But the UH defense clamped down holding Long Beach State scoreless the remainder of the game. It marked the third straight home game that UH held its opponent to under 60 points.

Hawai`i next hosts the 44th annual Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, Dec. 19-22. UH will face Louisiana-Lafayette in the first round on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

 

 

 

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