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HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i Rainbow Warrior basketball team suffered its most wrenching loss of the season, falling to Nevada, 47-46, Saturday night. Armon Johnson hit a short jumper in the lane with seven seconds as the Wolf Pack erased a late seven point deficit and stunned the Stan Sheriff Center crowd.

 

Johnson's basket capped a run of eight unanswered points in the final 2:14 for Nevada. The sophomore guard finished with a game-high 25 points. UH had a chance on the game's last possession, but Hiram Thompson's baseline jumper fell short at the buzzer.

 

UH (12-12, 4-8 WAC) is now in a three-way tie for sixth-place in the Western Athletic Conference with Louisiana Tech and San Jose State, while Nevada (14-10, 8-4 WAC) remained in sole possession of second place.  The defeat was UH's seventh straight against Nevada dating back to 2006.

 

Hawai`i lost despite another outstanding defensive effort. UH held its third straight opponent under 50 points, while the Wolf Pack shot just 36 percent from the floor. The 'Bows also recorded 10 steals and forced 18 Nevada turnovers.

 

The 'Bows, however, were hindered by poor free throw shooting, hitting just 14-of-24. UH hit its first five free throws of the night but missed 10 of its next 19 attempts.  

 

UH got off to a slow start, as Nevada scored eight of the game's first 10 points.Midway through the first half UH exploded for an 11-0 run, punctuated with back-to-back jams by Roderick Flemings and Brandon Adams that gave the 'Bows their biggest lead of the half, 23-14. UH eventually took a 27-24 lead at the break.

 

Nevada came out of the locker room with 11 answered points to take a 35-27 lead. UH responded with a 19-4 run, which included an eight-minute scoreless stress for the  Wolf Pack. UH looked on its way to its third straight victory when Fleming's jumper gave UH a 46-39 lead with 2:48 remaining. However, Nevada pulled off the comeback win by scoring on four of its final pfive ossessions, while holding the 'Bows scoreless the rest of the way.

 

Flemings finished with 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Bill Amis returned from a one-game absence to chip in 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

 

Hawai`i next plays a nationally televised game at Fresno State on Thursday, Feb. 19. Tip-off is 8:00 p.m. PT (6:00 p.m. HT) and will air ESPN2.

 

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