Box Score

HONOLULU - Matt Gibson scored the game-winning basket on a slashing layup with 11 seconds left to lift the University of Hawai`i men's basketball team to a 65-64 win over San Jose State Monday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH improved to 6-10 overall and 2-2 in the Western Athletic Conference with the heart-stopping, come-from-behind victory.

In their second meeting in a little more than a week, the Rainbow Warriors continued its dominance over San Jose State (8-8, 1-3) by defeating the Spartans for the 11th straight time. It didn't come easy though as the 'Bows trailed for nearly the entire game, including double-digit deficits in both halves.

After a grinding pace through the first 36 minutes, UH's moxie finally paid off in the closing frame. Gibson's layup capped a furious final 3:38 of the game in which the lead changed hands seven times. Not until DaShawn Wright's jumper fell off the mark in the final seconds was UH able to celebrate the victory.

Gibson finished with 14 points as did sophomore forward Bill Amis, who also added a team-high seven rebounds. Amis' play proved critical as he scored all but two of his points in the second half, including five of the team's final seven points. Bobby Nash chipped in 13 points and four assists.

Wright finished with a game-high 20 points for San Jose State and C. J. Webster notched 16 points and eight rebounds. The Spartans played the second half without leading scorer Justin Graham, who left the game with an injured elbow.

For the second straight game, UH couldn't find a rhythm offensively. UH shot just 35 percent from the field and were just 1-of-8 from both the free throw line and three-point range in the first half, trailing by as many as 11 points. Despite cutting the deficit to just six at half, UH fell behind by 10 point early in the second half.

However, Hawai`i hung tough. UH finally took the lead on a Nash's three-pointer at the 3:38 mark to set up back-and-forth action for the duration of the game. Hawai`i finished the game shooting just 12-of-22 from the line and 3-of-14 from three-point range. UH, however got the production when it needed it the most with Nash's momentous three-pointer and a perfect performance from the line in the final six minutes with the team hitting all nine of its final free throw attempts.

UH concludes its three-game home stand on Saturday, Jan. 19 when it faces Fresno State. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center.

 

 

 

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