HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team shocked Big West leader UC Irvine with a hard-fought 62-61 come-from-behind overtime victory Saturday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. UH improved to 5-5 overall and 3-5 in the Big West with one of its most dramatic wins in recent memory.
 
The Rainbow Warriors rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final 2:15 of regulation to force overtime, then survived a heart-stopping sequence in the waning seconds of overtime to pull off the win.
 
Junior Madut was the hero for Rainbow Warriors with a career-high 22 points, including a pair of free throws with one second left in regulation to tie the game. Madut, who went 9-of-10 from the free throw line, also hit a clutch go-ahead three-pointer in overtime that give UH a lead they wouldn't relinquish.
 
The win came one night after a heart-wrenching 53-51 loss to the Anteaters (9-5, 5-1 Big West).  The Rainbow Warriors bounced back in a big way by defeating its conference nemesis for the first time in the last eight meetings. In doing so, they snapped the Anteaters seven-game win streak and handed them their first conference loss of the year. It was also just the third loss for UCI in its last 23 Big West road games.  
 
UH came out energized and got off to a strong start. But a near 12-minute scoring drought bridging the first and second halves nearly doomed the Rainbow Warriors. It was a drought that allowed the Anteaters to turn a six-point first-half deficit into a double-digit lead in the second half.
 
The Anteaters look destined to win for the second straight evening, building its lead to as many as 13 points and holding a 57-47 lead with 2:15 left. But the 'Bows employed a pressure defense that rattled UCI and allowed UH to reel off 10 straight points to force overtime.
 
After the Anteaters scored the first bucket of overtime, UH scored five straight points to take a 62-59 lead. Colin Welp hit a pair of free throws with just under three minutes left to make it a 62-61 game. Neither team would score again.
 
UH had the ball in the final seconds of overtime but UCI had a prime chance to win the game when Andre Henry stole the ball with eight seconds left to start a fast break to the other end. But Henry missed the ensuing layup and Welp's tip-in at the buzzer also rattled out.  
 
Justin Webster added 16 points for UH, while the Anteaters were led by the frontcourt duo of Welp (20 points, nine rebounds) and Brad Greene (16 points, 11 rebounds), who for the second straight night posted a double-double against the 'Bows.
 
The Rainbow Warriors look to carry their momentum to the road with its first-ever meeting with UC San Diego on Friday, Feb. 5 and Saturday, Feb. 6. Both games tip at 3:00 p.m. HT.