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VIDEO: Courtesy of Ka Leo O Hawai`i

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team used a strong second effort to defeat UC Irvine, 78-72, Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. With its fifth straight win, UH moved to 15-9 overall and into sole possession of second place in the Big West with a 9-4 mark.
 
The Rainbow Warriors trailed by as many as seven points early in the second half, but held the Anteaters (12-13, 6-6 BWC) scoreless in a decisive seven-minute stretch to pull off the victory and avenge a four-point loss at UCI earlier this year. UH remains in contention for the Big West crown as it remains 1.5 games behind league-leading Long Beach State, a squad it dismantled by 21-points two nights earlier.
 
The frontcourt of Christian Standhardinger, Vander Joaquim and Isaac Fotu combined for 46 points and 25 rebounds in the win. Standhardinger went for 20 points and nine rebounds, while Joaquim finished with his ninth double-double of the year with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Hauns Brereton added 16 points, sinking all 12 of his free throw attempts to help cement the win for UH.
 
Alex Young led three Anteaters in double-figures with 20 points.
 
Riding the momentum of its big win over Long Beach State on Thursday, UH came out strong against UCI as the 'Bows built a nine-point first-half lead after a Brandon Jawato three-pointer at the seven-minutes mark. But UCI went on a 16-4 run to close the half and took a 34-31 lead at the break.
 
UC Irvine continued its momentum into the second half,  taking its biggest lead of the game, 42-35, on a Michael Wilder three-pointer less than four minutes in. But that was when UH ramped it up on both ends of the court. The 'Bows held the Anteaters scoreless for nearly seven minutes, going on a 14-0 run to reclaim the lead, 49-42, with less than 10 minutes left.
 
It was a lead the Rainbow Warriors wouldn't relinquish. UCI got within 65-61 with 2:51 remaining but UH scored the next five points to take a commanding nine-point lead with one minute left.
 
UH assured the victory by taking care of the ball and sinking its free throws. The 'Bows committed a season-low seven turnovers—two days after surrendering a season-high 23 against the 49ers—and converted 19-of-24 free throws in the second half, keyed by the flawless free throw shooting of Brereton.
 
UH will now return to the road to play a pair of games in Northern California, beginning with a contest at UC Davis on Thursday, Feb. 14. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. PT (5:00 p.m. HT).