Box Score

HONOLULU- The University of Hawai`i men's basketball team kept its championship hopes alive with a thrilling 71-66 come-from-behind victory over Utah State Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH (11-12, 7-4 WAC) rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to win its fifth straight home game and remain in the thick of the Western Athletic Conference race.

It was a crucial win for the Rainbow Warriors who remain in contention for the WAC title. A loss against the Aggies (18-8, 8-3 WAC), who entered as the league's first-place team, would have put UH three games behind with five games left. Instead, UH is among five teams separated by just two games.

UH got a balanced attack with all five starters in double-digits and used an inspired defensive effort to rally to the victory.

The Aggies shot 62 percent in the first half, took a nine-point lead at the break stretched that lead to 14 points, 57-43, on a Gary Wilkinson bucket with 9:50 remaining. But UH came roaring back, ending the game on a 28-9 run.

Riley Luettgerodt scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half, including an improbable game-tying jumper with less than two minutes remaining that rested on the top of the backboard, before dropping in. Jared Dillinger finished with 14 points and gave UH the lead for good, 66-63, on a three-point play with a minute remaining.

The Rainbow Warriors pressure defesnehelped ignite the comeback as UH finished with 12 steals (six by Luettgerodt), while forcing 20 Aggies turnovers.

Utah State's Jaycee Carroll scored a game-high 27 points, including 17 in the first half, But UH held the all-conference guard to just one bucket in the final eight minutes to secure the win.

Matt Gibson finished with 16 points, three assists and three steals, while Bill Amis added 10 points and nine rebounds. Bobby Nash also chipped in 10 points.

UH next heads for the road to face Fresno State on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Tipoff is 7:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. HT) at the Save Mart Center.

 

 

 

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