HONOLULU – The University of Hawaii men's basketball team kicked off its Big West home schedule with a 65-61 win over Cal Poly Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 11-6 overall and 2-1 in the Big West with the win.
 
For the second time in its first three Big West games, UH led from wire-to-wire. The win  didn't come easy though as the Mustangs (4-13, 1-2 Big West) nearly erased a 16-point deficit. However, the 'Bows ultimately held on for its eight win in the last 10 meetings against Cal Poly and fifth straight in Honolulu.
 
Eddie Stansberry led UH with 17 points, including a key three-pointer and pair of clutch free throws in the closing seconds to seal the game. Zigmars Raimo recorded his third double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Colby Rogers scored 18 points off the bench to lead the Mustangs.
 
UH shot just 32 percent for the game, but won in large part due to their dominance on the boards where they held a 47-35 advantage. Beside Raimo, UH got eight rebounds from freshman Bernardo da Silva and seven from point guard Drew Buggs.
 
UH got off to a fast start and built a double-digit lead barely four minutes into the game, UH led by as many as 16 points, before taking a 38-29 lead at the break.
 
UH quickly built its lead back to double-digits early in the second half and led 45-29 with 15 minutes remining. Cal Poly, however, chipped away and came within one, 58-57, with just over three minutes left.

The UH lead was just two, 63-61, when Cal Poly retained possession with 11 seconds left for a chance to either tie or win the game. However, the Mustangs immediately turned the ball over, and Stansberry solidified the UH win on the free throw line with five seconds left.   

The Rainbow Warriors will next face UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8:00 p.m. The game will be part of the doubleheader with the Rainbow Wahine who tip-off at 5:30.