Box Score

HONOLULU - The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Warrior basketball team suffered its second heart-wrenching defeat in its last three games with a 71-68 loss to New Mexico State Monday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH dropped to 14-11 overall and 5-7 in the Western Athletic Conference.

In a see-saw affair, the Aggies (19-6, 9-3 WAC) pulled away in the final 90 seconds to snap a two-game skid and remain in second place in the WAC. Martin Iti tallied a team-high 15 points for New Mexico State, including two straight buckets to break a 64-64 tie and give the Aggies a lead they would not relinquish.

UH had a chance to send the game in overtime but missed a pair of three-point attempts in the waning seconds. Bobby Nash's attempt from the left wing hit the back of the iron and after UH retained possession with 1.2 seconds left, Matt Lojeski's desperation three-pointer was off the mark at the buzzer.

Two nights after hitting a season-best 12-of-20 three-point attempts, the Rainbow Warriors struggled from behind the arc, missing 15 of their 19 attempts. Despite its woes, from the outside, UH shot 50 percent for the game and got a solid effort in the interior. Ahmet Gueye led UH with 15 points and eight rebounds. Lojeski also scored 15 points and added seven rebounds.

UH led by as many as 10 points in the first half, but the Aggies roared back and held a slim 33-31 lead at the break. The game was tight throughout the second half with neither team taking control, though the 'Bows held the biggest advantage of the half when they took a 59-54 lead with 5:34 remaining. NMSU, however, scored six points in less than a minute to regain the lead and would eventually pull away in the final 1:30.

UH plays its next three games on the road, starting with a WAC match-up versus the Utah State Aggies on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Tipoff is at 7:05 p.m. MST (4:05 HST).

-UH-