HONOLULU  —  The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team dropped its third straight contest with a 78-61 loss to UC Santa Barbara Thursday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors went scoreless for nearly 11 minutes in the first half to fall into a hole it couldn't recover from. 
 
UH fell to 10-10 overall and 2-6 in the Big West with its fifth loss in its last six home games. The Gauchos meanwhile improved to 12-7 overall and 5-4 in the Big West with its fifth win in its last six games. It was UH's fourth straight loss to the Gauchos.
 
Noel Coleman led UH with 19 points and drained a season-high five three-pointers. Bernardo da Silva finished with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field, while Juan Munoz added 12 in his second straight start. Munoz also swiped a season-high four steals.  
 
Reigning Big West Player of the Year Ajay Mitchell led four UCSB players in double figures with 25 points and six assists. Yohan Traore added 20 points for the Gauchos.
 
After darting out to a 7-2 lead, UH went scoreless for nearly 11 minutes, missing 15 straight shots, opening the door for a massive UCSB run. The Gauchos scored 26 unanswered points, before JoVon McClanahan finally ended the drought with a baseline jumper at the 6:11 mark. By then the 'Bows found themselves down by 21 points. 
 
UH gained a little momentum near the end of the half, hitting seven of its final eight shots, but the deficit was 43-27 at the break. The Gauchos, who entered the game ranked fifth nationally in field-goal percentage, shot a blistering 60 percent in the first half to UH's 36 percent. 
 
The shots started to fall for the 'Bows in the second half however, UH would get no closer than 16 points as the Gauchos continued their offensive onslaught. The Gauchos, who finished the game shooting 59.6 percent, out-scored UH 54-30 in the paint. UH shot just 20 percent (5 for 25) on three-pointers for the game, while the Gauchos also out-rebounded the 'Bows 33-21. UCSB went 14 for 17 (82 percent) from the free-throw line to UH's 12 for 20 (60 percent).
  
The Rainbow Warriors will next play the second game of its homestand when it faces Cal Poly on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.