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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team put together a strong second half and held off a late rally to defeat Northern Arizona, 76-66,  Saturday at the Walkup Skydome. UH improved to 7-2 with its fourth straight win.
 
The Rainbow Warriors struggled in the first half, but put together two key runs after the break to pick up their first road win of the season. It was also the team's first non-conference road win on the mainland in more than two years (at UC Davis), ending a string of six straight losses.
 
Garrett Nevels scored a game-high 24 points, including four three-pointers, to pace the Bows. Keith Shamburger scored 15 points after being a perfect 10-of-10 from the line, while Brandon Spearman chipped in 13.
 
UH also got a huge boost off the bench from Davis Rozitis, who sparked both UH runs in the second half as the point man in UH's defense. Rozitis was a disruptive force in both the half court and full court sets as UH forced 21 Lumberjack turnovers. The 'Bows scored 29 points off those turnovers.
 
Less than a year after UH defeated NAU by 34 points in Honolulu, the rematch was decidedly closer on the Lumberjack's home court.  The first half was a grind with the team combining for 17 turnovers in a low-scoring affair. It was close throughout with neither team leading by more than six points and the half fittingly ended in a 25-25 tie.
 
The tide turned four minutes into the second half. UH was clinging to a 36-35 lead but went on an 11-2 run to build its first double-digit lead. The Lumberjacks (2-7) cut the deficit to 53-49, but UH responded with 13 answered points to take a 66-49 lead with less than five minutes remaining.
 
The Lumberjacks put together one last push, cutting the deficit to just six and controlling the ball with less than a minute remaining. However, UH forced an important turnover to retain possession and sealed the game on the free throw line where they converted 18-of-22 attempts.
 
The Rainbow Warriors will next head to Lihu'e, Kaua'i where they will take on Chaminade in non-conference action on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7:00 p.m.