HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team mounted a furious rally in the waning minutes but fell short in a 70-63 loss to UC Irvine Saturday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors dropped to 14-10 overall and 5-5 in the Big West with their fourth straight setback.  
 
It was the Anteaters' (17-10, 9-2 BW) sixth straight win over UH as they continued their stranglehold of first place in the Big West. The 'Bows, meanwhile, dropped to a tie for fourth place in the league standings with the loss.
 
Drew Buggs led UH with 17 points and 7 assists, while Eddie Stasnberry chipped in 10. Eyassu Worku led UCI with a game-high 21 points.
 
Three days after a discouraging loss to Long Beach State, the 'Bows came out with renewed passion before an energized Whiteout home crowd and a national television audience. The teams battled hard in the first half, with the Anteaters holding a slim 27-26 lead at the break.
 
It was a 46-45 game with 10 minutes remaining in the game, but that's when UCI made a game-changing 13-3 run that gave them a double-digit lead. The Anteaters extended its lead to 66-53 with just 2:26 remaining.
 
Their was no quit in the 'Bows though. In less than two minutes, UH made a frantic comeback and cut the deficit to just three, 66-63, on a Zigmars Raimo layup with 36 seconds left. However, UH would get no closer as UCI scored the final four points of the game.
 
The Anteaters shot 59 percent in the decisive second half and out-rebounded UH, 38-28.
 
The evening was highlighted by the halftime jersey retirement of UH basketball legend Bob Nash. Nash was UH's first-ever All-American and dedicated nearly 30 years to UH basketball program as an assistant and head coach. His jersey is the first-ever to be retired by the program.  
 
The Rainbow Warriors will next head to the road for a pair of games, starting with a meeting versus UC Riverside on Thursday, Feb. 20. The game tips at 8:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. HT and will be televised on ESPNU.