HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team picked up a big bounce-back victory with an 81-70 decision over CSU Bakersfield Saturday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 12-6 overall and 4-3 in the Big West with their fourth win in the last five contests. 
 
Two days after a 23-point home loss to CSUN, UH came out focused and determined. The 'Bows led from wire-to-wire and built a double-digit lead, before holding off a second-half  Roadrunner rally. 
 
Gytis Nemeiksa and Tanner Christensen each poured in 17 points, with Christensen one rebound shy of a double-double and converting 11 of 13 free throws. Kody Williams finsihed with 16 points, including a key three-pointer in the waning minutes, to keep the Roadrunners at bay. Williams also added five rebounds and three assists. 
 
CSUB junior guard Jemel Jones, coming off a 48-point explosion in his last game vs CSUN, had a game-high 29 points on 12-for-30 shooting from the field before fouling out late in the game.  Corey Stephenson, who also fouled out for CSUB, added 18 points. 
 
UH shot 57 percent for the game and held the Roadrunners to just 30 percent shooting in the second half to secure the win. 
 
UH was the aggressor, out-rebounding the Roadrunners, 34-27, and getting to the free throw line 34 times, where they converted 26 of their points. CSUB went just 4-of-15 on three-pointers after entering the game eighth nationally at 40 percent. 
 
The 'Bows, who shot 3-of-20 on three-pointers on Thursday, went 9-of-17 on Saturday and hit four of their first six attempts to start the game. UH went up by as many as 12 points in the first half before taking a 42-35 lead into the locker room. UH shot 57 percent in the first half, sporting a balanced attack that saw eight different players in the scoring column.
 
UH extended its lead to 52-41 after Williams found Ryan Rapp for a three-pointer four minutes into the second half. But CSUB made its move led by Jones. His jumper capped a 15-5 run that made it a 57-56 game. Marcus Greene answered with a three-pointer on the next possession as UH scored the next six points. CSUB wouldn't go away though and it was just a five-point late in the game. But Williams drilled a three-pointer with less than two minutes left to extend UH's advantage to 73-65 and CSUB would get no closer  
 
The Rainbow Warriors will now head to the road for a pair of games, beginning with a trip to Northern California and meeting versus UC Davis. Tipoff is 6:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. HT.