LONG BEACH, Calif. — A late second-half comeback fell short for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team at Long Beach State Saturday afternoon with a final score of 64-60.
 
The Rainbow Warriors (15-11, 6-6) struggled from the floor but stayed within striking distance of the Beach (10-18, 5-7) to make things interesting in the final moments.
 
After trailing by as much as 16 with 9:41 to go in regulation, UH battled back with an 18-7 run to pull within five at 59-54 with two minutes on the clock. The 'Bows turned up the defensive pressure by forcing five turnovers in the final four minutes, swinging the game in their favor. Both teams traded free throws after two lengthy out of bounds review stoppages, and LBSU was able to stall and hold off the completion of the comeback.
 
Senior guard Eddie Stansberry sparked the offense for 19 points, including 10 points in the opening 20 minutes of the game. In 38 minutes of action, Stansberry proved to be a steady hand, only committing one turnover on the day.
 
The first half proved to be a deciding factor as LBSU put UH in an early hole. Behind the efforts of guard Michael Carter III, LBSU strung together a 22-6 run to close out the first half as Carter III turned in 12 points, finishing with a team-high 15 points. As a team, LBSU shot just over 62 percent from three-point territory, including a 2-for-3 from Carter III in the opening 20 minutes. The hot shooting and scoring stretch by The Beach led to a 34-24 disadvantage going into the locker room for UH.
 
A contributor in the comeback for the 'Bows was freshman guard Justin Webster. The Dallas, Texas native accounted for five points in the first half, hitting 1-of-7 from the floor, but the second half was a different story. Webster went 3-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line ending his day with 15 points. His second-half effort marked the seventh time he has eclipsed 10 points or more in his last nine games.
 
The iron wasn't kind to visiting squad as UH shot 33 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three-point territory. Defensively the 'Bows forced a season-high 18 turnovers but had a difficult time capitalizing, accounting for 10 points off those turnovers.
 
The loss by UH marks its third straight loss to LBSU, resulting in a season sweep for the Beach. Walter Pyramid continues to be a tough place to play for the Green and white as they fell to 2-11 all-time in the building.
 
UH returns home to face Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 27) and UC Riverside (Feb. 29) in its final two home games of the season. UH will look to complete season sweeps of both teams.