GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Hawaii's Matt Gibson reacted during last night's win over Southern Illinois.

’Bows barely
grind by

Hawaii gets 17 points from
Sensley in a nip-and-tuck
game decided by Southern
Illinois' 3-point miss

Back and forth they battled, trading blows for the full 40 minutes.

And only when a desperation 3-pointer bounced off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded could Hawaii celebrate a thrilling 66-64 win over Southern Illinois last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

"It was everything I thought it would be," Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said.

"We just kept playing and playing and not giving them a lot of easy looks making them work for everything they got, and we were able to grind out enough on offense."

A "Black Out" night crowd of 5,539 watched UH improve to 3-0 while handing Southern Illinois its first loss of the season.

UH forward Julian Sensley led the Rainbow Warriors with 17 points and 11 rebounds and senior Vaidotas Peciukas, playing for the first time this season, scored Hawaii's last four points in the final minute to give the Rainbows the lead for good.

The Salukis (4-1) used their defensive pressure to force UH into 21 turnovers, but Hawaii had the advantage on the boards, outrebounding SIU 37-28.

Sensley, who played all 40 minutes, made seven of 11 shots from the field as Hawaii avenged a 66-62 loss at Southern Illinois in last season's Bracket Busters game.

"They played us hard and aggressive and we were able to be aggressive right back," Sensley said.

"For us it was a good test, you don't face anybody that gets up into (you) like that. ... It just shows that we're a team to be reckoned with and you shouldn't take us lightly."

Guard Matt Gibson scored 11 points and forward Jeff Blackett contributed 10 points and six rebounds.

The Rainbows also got timely contributions off the bench from Matthew Gipson (seven points, five rebounds) and Peciukas (six points, three rebounds.)

"We're a team," Blackett said. "Everybody who goes in there contributes. Anyone coming off the bench is going to go in there and give you something."

SIU guard Darren Brooks led all scorers with 23 points, while Stetson Hairston hit for 12 of his 16 points in the second half. Jamaal Tatum added 12 points.

"It was a see-saw battle and someone had to lose," Brooks said.

SIU made its first five shots from the field and took an 11-4 lead when Tony Young drove for a layup, stole the inbounds pass, and fed Hairston for another layup.

Hawaii had 12 turnovers in the first half, but the Rainbows' size in the paint translated into a 19-7 rebounding advantage and 14 second-chance points to SIU's two at the break.

Hawaii took its first lead of the game at 21-18 on a 3-pointer by Jake Sottos at the 8:05 mark of the first half. Sensley put UH up 30-23 with a swooping reverse layup off a lob from Gibson.

SIU, trailing at the half for the first time this season, went back in front 44-43 on Jamaal Tatum's 3-pointer from the right side. But Gibson answered immediately for UH with another 3-pointer.

After a steal and layup by Hairston tied the game at 46, Gipson scored on a putback of a miss by Sottos and drained a 3-pointer to give UH a 51-46 lead.

Trailing 60-54, SIU went on a 7-0 run, taking the lead on a Hairston drive to the basket with 2:37 left.

Gibson gave UH the lead back with two free throws, but Hairston answered with a 3-pointer to put SIU up 64-63 with a minute left.

Peciukas, who entered the game when Blackett fouled out with 2:37 left, drove down the lane for a layup giving Hawaii a 65-64 advantage.

"They were pressuring everybody and I didn't see anybody open," Peciukas said. "(The defender) was too close to me so I drove straight down the middle."

Brooks twice had shots at putting SIU back on top but couldn't get the ball to drop, the second attempt coming with less than 5 seconds left.

"We got what we wanted," SIU coach Chris Lowery said. "He wheeled his way with a lefty and then he had a righty that went in and out. We couldn't ask for more, especially on the road in a hostile environment."

Peciukas then made the first of two free throws. The rebound of the second shot came off to LaMar Owen, whose 3-pointer at the buzzer was just off the mark to seal the win for Hawaii.

The Rainbows embark on their first road trip of the season this week and face Saint Louis on Saturday.

Rainbow Warriors 66, Salukis 64