Box Score

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team gave another gritty effort before falling to No. 19 UNLV, 74-69, in a New Year's Eve affair at the Stan Sheriff Center. UH (8-6) saw its three-game win streak stopped while playing its final non-conference game before heading into league play. 
 
Playing its second ranked team in the last eight days, UH again showed it could go toe-to-toe with the nation's best. The Rainbow Warriors stayed within striking distance for the entire second half, but could never get over the hump as the Runnin' Rebels (15-2) responded to every UH rally.
 
Joston Thomas recorded his second straight double-double with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds to lead UH. Vander Joaquim who was saddled with foul trouble and played just four minutes in the first half, came up big after the break when he scored all 15 of his points to keep UH in the game. Zane Johnson finished with 12 points—all coming in the first half—as the senior was held scoreless in the second half after being knocked out of the game with just under 10 minutes remaining.
 
The Rainbow Warriors did a solid job of containing UNLV top guns Oscar Bellfield and Chace Stanback, but couldn't contain guard Anthony Marshall who exploded for 19 points and 13 rebounds. Mike Moser added 15 points and 12 rebounds as UNLV won its sixth straight game.
 
It was a frantic game early on as the teams combined to miss 26 of their first 30 field goal attempts and accumulated twice as many turnovers as field goals made. UNLV used a 19-5 run to take a double-digit lead midway through the first half and eventually took a 35-28 lead into the locker room. The Rainbow Warriors failed to shake off its early struggles shooting just 25 percent in the first half.
 
UH wouldn't quit and cut the UNLV lead to just two points on a couple occasions, including a 58-56 score on a Thomas layup with just under eight minutes left. The Runnin Rebels, however, responded with an 8-1 run that would give them a cushion that proved just enough to hold off the Rainbow Warriors. UH battled till the end but could get no closer than four points in the closing minutes.
 
The Rainbow Warriors now enter league play when it hosts San Jose State on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m., marking the beginning of the program's final season in the Western Athletic Conference.