2005-06 Recap

Nov. 11

Hawaii 110, UH-Hilo 55

Forward Matthew Gipson scored 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting to lead six Rainbows in double figures as UH cruised past the Division II Vulcans in an exhibition game. The 'Bows outrebounded Hilo 50-26 and drained 14 3-point shots, led by guard Matt Gibson's four from long range.

Nov. 19

Hawaii 84, No. 4 Michigan State 62

Guard Matt Lojeski and forward Julian Sensley scored 20 points each as UH scored its biggest upset since knocking off second-ranked Kansas in 1997. Lojeski hit six of eight 3-point attempts for UH, which took a 13-10 lead less than 5 minutes into the game and never trailed again in coach Riley Wallace's 300th win at the school.

Nov. 22

UNLV 67, Hawaii 61

At Las Vegas, three days after the high of beating Michigan State, UH's shooting hit rock bottom. The 'Bows made six of 18 from the free-throw line and one of 17 from 3-point range, and Sensley went scoreless for the first time in his UH career. The loss overshadowed forward Ahmet Gueye's 21 points and Gipson's 16-point, 12-rebound night. UNLV forward Louis Amundson paced the Rebels with 22 points and 21 rebounds.

Nov. 26

Hawaii 82, Saint Louis 64

Sensley bounced back with 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals and the Rainbows limited the Billikens to eight second-half field goals. Lojeski went 5-for-6 from 3-point range en route to a 17-point performance. Bobby Nash hit three 3-pointers and Gueye blocked five shots.

Dec. 6

Hawaii 78, UNLV 72

Held scoreless in the first meeting between the teams, Sensley broke out for 28 points as UH split the nonconference series. Sensley shot 10-for-15 from the field, and hit three of four from 3-point range. UH shot 55 percent (11-for-20) after halftime of a ragged game that included 41 turnovers and 47 fouls.

Dec. 10

Wisconsin-Milwaukee 58, Hawaii 52

At Milwaukee, Wis., the Rainbows took close to 20 hours to get to Milwaukee due to a winter storm, and suffered through another cold shooting night on the road. Despite making one of 13 3-point attempts, UH closed to 55-52 with less than a minute left but could get no closer. Gueye led the 'Bows with 17 points, while Sensley finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Dec. 17

Hawaii 69, Utah State 59

Lojeski, nursing a sprained shoulder, helped UH spoil the Aggies' WAC debut by scoring 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting. Sensley hit for 12 of his 19 points after halftime and the UH defense limited Utah State to just seven second-half field goals, holding the nation's top shooting team to 36 percent from the field.

Dec. 20

Hawaii 66, Loyola Marymount 63

UH rallied from a nine-point deficit in the second half and avoided falling into the consolation bracket of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic. Lojeski, Tatum and Sensley all scored 14 points in the win. Freshman Dominic Waters' two free throws with 12 seconds left sealed the win.

Dec. 22

Colorado State 67, Hawaii 61

UH's four-year reign as Rainbow Classic champion ended with a semifinal loss to the Rams. The Rainbows went cold in the second half as a five-point halftime lead fizzled away with a 9-for-24 shooting performance after the break. Bobby Nash scored 11 points off the bench in his final game before electing to seek a medical hardship.

Dec. 23

Hawaii 80, Northwestern State 76

With Sensley sitting out for the first time in his UH career due to a strained Achilles', freshman Hiram Thompson picked up the slack with 15 points off the bench as UH claimed third place in the Classic. Thompson sparked the Rainbows by shooting 7-for-10 and dishing four assists.

Dec. 27

Hawaii 66, North Carolina A&T 60

The Rainbows survived a sluggish performance to avoid becoming the Aggies' first victim of the season. After going 9-for-35 from the field in the first half, UH shoots 62 percent in the second to hold off N.C. A&T. Sensley returned from an injury to lead UH with 18 points. Gipson chipped in with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Dec. 29

Penn 58, Hawaii 55

Close wasn't quite good enough for Hawaii as the Rainbows fell to the Ivy League champion Quakers. UH closed to within one point three times in the second half, but was victimized by turnovers and Penn's clutch shooting. Guard Deonte Tatum scored a career-high 17 points in the loss.

Jan. 5

Hawaii 73, Nevada 69, OT

The Rainbows overcame a 37-point performance by WAC Player of the Year Nick Fazekas to knock off the eventual conference champion Wolf Pack. Sensley hit for 19 points, and Waters came off the bench to provide nine points and a steady hand at the point in a game that included 11 ties and 14 lead changes.

Jan. 12

Louisiana Tech 65, Hawaii 62

At Ruston. La., UH fought back from a 10-point first-half deficit to take the lead with 10 minutes left. But LaTech forward Paul Millsap's three-point play gave the Bulldogs a 59-57 lead and they held on for their fourth straight win over the Rainbows. Millsap finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Lojeski scored 15 points for UH, which got no scoring from its bench.

Jan. 14

New Mexico State 87, Hawaii 84

At Las Cruces, N.M., a hot-shooting Rainbow squad ran out of gas and the Aggies rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to win the first WAC meeting between the schools. Sensley's career-high 32 points wasn't enough to fend off NMSU, which used 11- and 12-point runs to pass a leg-weary UH team in the final 14 minutes.

Jan. 21

Hawaii 73, Fresno State 65

The Rainbows unveiled a seldom-used 1-2-2 zone defense to bait the Bulldogs into launching a WAC-record 37 3-pointers. UH's rebounding edge ignited the transition game and the Rainbows went on a 15-0 run in the second half. Sensley scored 21 points and Lojeski added 20.

Jan. 23

Hawaii 72, Boise State 61

Sensley beat Boise State's Coby Karl to the 1,000-point mark and UH recovered from a slow start to pull away from the Broncos. Sensley scored 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as both he and Karl reached the career milestone. Sensley became just the fourth UH player to rack up 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

Jan. 28

Nevada 73, Hawaii 55

At Reno, Nev., the Wolf Pack avenged their loss in Honolulu by running past the Rainbows, leading by as many as 26 in the second half. Lojeski scored a team-high 15 points for UH, which was outrebounded 40-24 by the Wolf Pack. Fazekas led Nevada with 25 points and 11 rebounds.

Jan. 30

Utah State 63, Hawaii 52

At Logan, Utah, after trailing 36-19 at halftime, the Rainbows got back to within seven with 9:45 left in the game. But back-to-back 3-pointers by Aggies guard Jaycee Carroll gave USU control of the Big Monday game. Sensley scored 14 points to lead UH.

Feb. 2

Hawaii 81, Idaho 61

With just one day to prepare following a rough road trip, the Rainbows shot 63 percent from the field to rout the Vandals. Sensley (22 points) and Lojeski (21) combined to make 18 of 26 shots. The Rainbows outscored Idaho 32-8 over a span bridging halftime in the first WAC meeting between the schools.

Feb. 4

Hawaii 83, San Jose State 68

After watching the Spartans battle back from an 11-point deficit to tie the game at halftime, UH made nine of its first 11 shots of the second half to pull away from SJSU. The Rainbows made 19 of 20 shots from the free-throw line, led by Gueye's 9-for-9 performance.

Feb. 11

Hawaii 73, Boise State 64

At Boise, Idaho, Hawaii overcame a 13-point first-half deficit to end a 10-game road losing streak. Sensley scored a team-high 22 points and drained a clinching 3-pointer from the corner with 34 seconds left as UH moved up to third place in the WAC. UH's balanced effort was just enough to overcome Karl's 26 points.

Feb. 13

Fresno State 73, Hawaii 67

At Fresno, Calif., a 14-point Fresno State lead dwindled to four with just over a minute left, but UH got not closer. Lojeski scored 20 points to pace the 'Bows. Gueye blocked five shots as UH passed the school's single-season record of 128 blocks set in the 1993-94 season.

Feb. 18

Hawaii 67, Santa Clara 57

Sensley scored 20 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as the Rainbows came back from a 12-point deficit to beat the Broncos in a nonconference game. Sensley scored 16 straight points -- hitting four 3-pointers -- for the 'Bows in a pivotal second-half stretch as UH caught and passed the Broncos.

Feb. 22

Hawaii 70, Idaho 66

At Moscow, Idaho, the Rainbows shot 71 percent (15-for-21) in the second half to rally from a 10-point halftime deficit and hung on in the final minute to edge the Vandals. Sensley scored 16 of his 19 points after the break. With UH protecting a one-point lead, Gueye made two free throws with 13.9 seconds left to secure the win for the 'Bows.

Feb. 25

Hawaii 61, San Jose State 60

At San Jose, Calif., Sensley nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing with 2.2 seconds to give UH its first lead of the game and a rare road sweep. Gueye helped put UH in position for the dramatic finish with 19 points and eight rebounds. Lojeski scored 14 points and blocked four shots.

March 2

Hawaii 61, New Mexico State 56

The Rainbows fell behind by a double-digit margin for the sixth straight game and rallied to win for the fifth time in that span. The Rainbows moved into a tie for second place in the WAC behind Sensley's 22-point, nine-rebound performance. Lojeski hit four free throws in the final 14 seconds to clinch the win.

March 4

Louisiana Tech 51, Hawaii 48

Reeling from the loss of Gueye to a season-ending knee injury the previous day, the Rainbows went scoreless for more than 10 minutes as LaTech erased an 11-point deficit to spoil UH's senior night. UH, down to eight scholarship players, shot 3-for-23 after halftime. Millsap posted another big night against the Rainbows with 20 points and 23 rebounds.

March 9

New Mexico State 58, Hawaii 57

The Rainbows missed two shots in the final seconds as the Aggies held on for a dramatic quarterfinal victory in the WAC tournament. Sensley scored 16 points, but his baseline jumper was off the mark and Gipson's putback attempt also stayed out of the basket. NMSU forward Tyrone Nelson led the Aggies with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

UH ended the season at 17-11.