ANAHEIM, Calif. – For the second straight season, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team suffered postseason heartbreak with a 68-66 loss to Long Beach State in the Big West Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday at the Honda Center. 
 
Jordan Roberts' jumper with 0.5 seconds left sent the fifth-seeded 49ers (15-18) to the semifinal round where they will face top-seeded UC Irvine. The Rainbow Warriors (18-13) will now await word on its postseason fate.
 
UH held the lead for the majority of the game – leading by as many as 18 in the first half – until LBSU's Drew Cobb converted two free throws with 3:06 remaining putting the Beach on top 63-61. Senior Brocke Stepteau responded on Hawai'i's ensuing possession with a three-pointer but Roberts answered with a bucket and a 65-64 LBSU lead.
 
Down two after a Roberts' free throw, Zigmars Raimo's lay-up tied the score at 66 with 21.8 seconds left. LBSU set up for the last shot and Booker found Roberts for a short jumper in the lane. Needing a miracle, UH's in-bounds pass was deflected and time ran out. 
 
This marks the second consecutive season the 'Bows surrendered a double-digit lead in the Big West Tournament and third straight year UH was ousted in the quarterfinal round. 
 
Raimo led all UH scorers with 14 points and 10 rebounds for his team-leading fourth double-double of the season. Stepteau and Eddie Stansberry each chipped in with 12 points while Jack Purchase added to his school-record three-point total with nine points on 3-of-5 behind the arc. 
 
Hawai'i attempted 29 triples, converting only seven while the Beach did its damage at the free throw line, going 18-of-28. Roberts led four 49ers in double figures with 18 points and nine boards. First-team all-Big West guard Deishuan Booker added 15 points and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe.
 
With intensity and purpose on both ends of the court, UH started lights out. The 'Bows built a double-digit lead less than five minutes into the game and extended its lead to 18 at 33-15 when Eddie Stansberry drained a three-pointer with 5:53 left in the first half. 
 
But the Beach went on a 14-4 run to end the half and cut the deficit to 37-29 at the break and eventually chipped away at the deficit in the second half. UH's largest lead in the second half was 12 after back-to-back buckets by Raimo and Stansberry. But in just over 90 seconds, the Beach scored nine straight points during an 11-0 run.