Box Score
FRESNO, Calif. - The University of Hawaii men's basketball team let one slip away with a deflating 70-65 road loss at Fresno State Wednesday night at the Save Mart Center. The Rainbow Warriors saw a seven-point lead evaporate in the final three minutes to drop to 11-13 overall and 7-5 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Fresno State's Kevin Bell scored 27 points and dished out nine assists to help the Bulldogs (12-15, 5-8 WAC) snap a three-game losing streak. The win was also Fresno State's first over UH in the last four meetings.
UH watched its WAC title hopes fade with the loss. The Bows fell 2.5 games off the pace and remain in fifth place with four league games remaining.
Riley Luettgerodt led Hawai`i for the second straight game with an outstanding all-around effort. The senior guard fell three assists short of a triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high seven assists. The double-double was his first of the season and second of his career.
Bill Amis finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for UH. Matt Gibson added 13 points, while Bobby Nash posted 11 points and eight rebounds.
Hawai`i led for a good portion of the game and built a 62-55 lead with 3:20 remaining on an Amis dunk. Fresno State, however, closed the game with a 15-3 run to seize the home win. Dwight O'Neil's free throws with 12 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner, putting the Bulldogs up 66-65. The 'Bows had a chance to re-take the lead but Gibson's three-point attempt from the corner fell off the mark. The Bulldogs completed the scoring with four straight free throws.
UH got a off to a quick start scoring the first six points of the game, converting on eight of its first 11 shots and leading for nearly the entire first half. The 'Bows built a 30-20 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half, but the Bulldogs scored 11 unanswered points, capped by a Bell three-pointer at the buzzer, to take 31-30 edge at the break.
Fresno State continued its momentum out of the locker room, completing a 19-2 run between the first and second half to take a 39-32 lead. UH regained the lead, 46-45, on Gibson three-pointer, midway through the second half to set up a back-and-forth finale.
Hawai`i out-rebounded Fresno State, 37-36, but shot just 36 percent from the field in the second half after converting 58 percent in the first half.
UH takes a break from WAC play to face UC Riverside in a non-conference match-up on Saturday, Feb. 23. Tipoff is 5:00 p.m. PST (3:00 HT) at the UCR Student Recreation Center.
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