"We're big Rainbow fans," said Robert Furumoto.

The University of Hawaii men's basketball team arrived at Honolulu International Airport yesterday afternoon and was greeted with cheers and leis.

The players were tired, but happy. And so was head coach Riley Wallace after the Rainbows knocked off Wyoming (70-68) on Thursday and Colorado State (83-79) on Saturday to improve to a stunning 18-4 overall and 10-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.

"It's never been done before so it's exciting," Wallace said of the two-game sweep. "It's fun for the guys because everything was against us.

"These guys just keep doing miraculous things. It's unbelievable. Those are tough places to play, but they got it done."

Three players were suspended and then 7-1 center Seth Sundberg was hospitalized with a lacerated spleen that he suffered in the Air Force game.

To top it off, the team's charter bus was involved in a crash while traveling from Denver to Laramie.

"I'm so proud of them," Sundberg said yesterday from his room at The Queen's Medical Center. "They really showed a lot of heart."

Sundberg said he hopes to be released from the hospital today. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season, according to UH team physician Dr. Andrew Nichols.

But the way this season has been scripted so far, who knows?

Hawaii is alone in first place in the Pacific Division and is in an excellent position to get a first-round bye in the WAC tournament March 4-8 in Las Vegas. The first- and second-place teams in each division get the bye.

"Then Fresno gets beat at Air Force (Saturday) - we like that because it makes us look better," Wallace said.

It also dropped the Bulldogs to 8-3 in the WAC going into their game at UNLV tonight.

The Rainbows have three of their final regular-season games at home, with the one road game at New Mexico.

The UH guards stole the show on the two-game road trip for the shorthanded Rainbows, especially on the offensive end.

Anthony Carter and Alika Smith combined for 108 points in the two games. Smith had 30 points against Colorado State, including a huge jumper near the end. And Carter had 23 points and 11 assists against the Rams.

"Alika has never done that on the road, so this year I think he wanted to prove something to everyone," Wallace said. "Of course, it's good to have A.C. next to you to pick you up. A.C. has done it everywhere on the road."

"We just refuse to lose," Smith said with a grin. "When Colorado State cut it to one, we just stuck together. We're playing well as a team and we're playing good team defense."

Carter agreed.

"It felt good to make history at UH, to come out with both victories," said Carter, who hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds left to send the Wyoming game into overtime. "We were just running the plays and we were open so we took the shots.

"We just keep everything positive and keep picking each other up."

The Rainbows take on San Diego State Wednesday night at the Special Events Arena.

"We can't look back now," Wallace said. "We're sitting up on top and now we have to protect it."

The 71-64 loss to the Rams means the Wahine must win their next three games in order to sleep in on March 3 and not play a first-round tournament game in Las Vegas.

Hawaii plays two of its next three on the road, the first being Thursday's contest at Pacific Division-leader San Diego State (18-6, 13-1).

That's the team that leads the nation in scoring defense (51.1 ppg). The one whose only WAC loss came three weeks ago at the Special Events Arena, 54-44.

The same team that is 10-2 this season at home but has not lost a WAC contest in Peterson Gym in 1997, going 7-0.

"We know what we have to do," said Wahine junior guard Nani Cockett, who scored 26 points in Saturday's losing effort. "We're looking to get a win at San Diego State. If we lose, that's three losses for us. We'd be tied with Colorado State for second place and for the second bye. We lose the tie-breaker on head-to-head."

Hawaii (18-5, 11-2) possibly could lose one game and still finish second, but would need CSU to lose one of its last three. The Wahine close out the regular season with New Mexico this Saturday, after that quick trip to San Diego, and then on Feb. 28 in the regular-season finale in The Pit.

Colorado State looks to have an easier road in its last three games, all of which are at home. The Rams host San Jose State and Fresno State this week, then finish with Mountain leaders Utah, a team CSU beat in Salt Lake City earlier this month.

"We lose one of our last three and I don't think we get the bye," said Hawaii coach Vince Goo. "I think CSU will win their last three games.

"Coming off this kind of loss, going to San Diego State, is not the best situation you want to be in. San Diego will come out, play pressure defense. We'll have to play a power game, take care of the ball. And we need to get some scoring from other positions besides Maika (Cockett) and Raylene (freshman guard Howard)."

Saturday, Cockett and Howard combined for 47 points in front of the program's largest-ever crowd (3,640 turnstile). But no other Wahine scored more than four points.

Hammon was the only Ram in double figures but she was enough. Last season's WAC Freshman of the Year shot over, under, around and through a tight Hawaii defense, hitting 15 of 23 shots, including 5-of-10 3-pointers.

"She's just a great player, a real smart player," said Cockett. "Whatever defense we put on her, she just kept scoring. She's that good."

"We were in her shorts the whole game and her shots kept going in," said Howard, after her career-high 21 points. "When you're that hot . . . "

Hammon missed her first two 3-point tries of the game but scored her team's final six points before intermission, putting the Rams ahead, 34-33. At 38-38, she put the game out of reach with four consecutive 3-pointers during a 14-2 run.

"I've seen her in that zone before," said CSU coach Greg Williams. "She had two of the best defenders in the league on her in BJ (Itoman) and then Cockett. That's a credit to Becky and nothing against the two defenders. Becky did not have an easy shot all night. Every shot she made was a tough one.

"This win is huge. We lose, we are out of the WAC hunt for second and a bye. That's what this game was all about for us. Had we lost tonight, it was over. Hawaii and San Diego State would be playing to see who was first and who was second. We would be third."