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HONOLULU – Bill Amis hit the game-winning basket with 8.1 seconds left to lift the University of Hawai`i Rainbow Warrior basketball team to a 65-64 win over Louisiana Tech Monday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH improved to 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the Western Athletic Conference with its first league win of the year.

 

Amis finished with a game-high 17 points, while also adding five rebound and five assists. It was the second-game winner for Amis this season. The junior from Oklahoma City, Okla., also buried a pair of free throws to defeat Iowa State in November.

 

UH pulled off the win after a wild finish. The 'Bows got off to a blazing start and led mostly the entire game but went scoreless for nearly seven minutes down the stretch. An 11-0 run allowed the Bulldogs (7-8, 1-1 WAC) to take their first lead of the game in the waning minutes and Louisiana Tech looked poised to steal a win with a 64-60 lead with 32 seconds remaining.

 

The 'Bows however wouldn't quit. Kareem Nitoto nailed a three-pointer with 25 seconds to make it a 64-63 game. After a UH foul, Louisiana Tech's Kyle Gibson missed the front-end of a one-and-one to set up Hawai`i's final possession as Nitoto found Amis along the right baseline for the game-winning 15-foot jumper. Louisiana Tech had one last chance, but Gibson's off-balance jumper was off the mark and a pair of tip-ins by the Bulldogs fell short as the buzzer sounded. 

 

The win was UH's first in regular-season WAC play since beating Utah State in mid-February last season. The 'Bows had lost six straight WAC regular-season games and seven straight to league opponents, including the WAC Tournament, before downing the Bulldogs.

 

UH was out-rebounded for the first time in 12 games. The Rainbow Warriors, however enjoyed one of its best offensive performances of the year, despite the lull down the stretch. UH got off to a hot start, burying 11 of its first 12 shots, and finished the game shooting 52 percent from the floor. The 'Bows also had 18 assists to just 10 turnovers.

 

UH was also aided by a career performance from junior Paul Campbell. Campbell was huge on both ends and finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. Adhar Mayen poured in a career-high 13 points, while Roderick Flemings also added 13.

 

Junior center Kenneth Cooper led Louisiana Tech with 14 points, while fellow front court mate Magnum Rolle added 10 points, including back-to-back jumpers that gave the Bulldogs the lead late in the game.

 

Hawai`i now heads to the road for a two-game road swing in Idaho. First up for the Rainbow Warriors are the Idaho Vandals on Thursday, Jan. 8. Tipoff is 7:05 p.m. PT (5:05 pm. HT) at the Cowan Spectrum.