DEAN HARE / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN Hawaii's Bobby Nash went up to shoot over Idaho's Terrence Simmons. Nash wound up with 12 points as the Rainbow Warriors improved to 4-3 in the WAC with the win.

’Bows salvage road trip

Gibson comes off the bench to score 16 as Hawaii holds off Idaho

A little over a year after suffering a stunning loss at the buzzer in its last visit to Moscow, the Hawaii basketball team this time held off Idaho in the final moments to escape with a 58-53 win last night at Cowan Spectrum.

UH guard Matt Gibson didn't start due to a disciplinary issue, but came off the bench to lead four Rainbows in double figures with 16 points. Jared Dillinger and Bobby Nash scored 12 points each, while P.J. Owsley added 10, as Hawaii shot 48 percent from the field. Riley Luettgerodt went 0-for-4 from the field, but delivered the game's biggest points by hitting four free throws in the final 32 seconds to seal the win.

Jordan Brooks scored a game-high 17 points for the Vandals (5-14, 2-5).

The Rainbows return home to face a New Mexico State team that handed Utah State a 100-70 loss yesterday. Hawaii hosts the Aggies (15-6, 5-1) on Thursday at the Stan Sheriff Center and faces Louisiana Tech (3-15, 0-6) on Saturday.

DEAN HARE / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN Jordan Brooks of Idaho found his path to the basket blocked by the Rainbows' Bill Amis (41) and Jared Dillinger in last night's game, won by Hawaii.

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MOSCOW, Idaho » It was a night of redemption in the Gem State for the Hawaii basketball team and embattled senior Matt Gibson.

The Rainbow Warriors were just two days removed from a lopsided loss at Boise State, and to make matters worse, they began last night's game at Idaho without the services of Gibson, the team's leading scorer, due to disciplinary reasons.

By the end of the night, however, both UH and their spiky-haired guard had bounced back, earning a hard-fought 58-53 Western Athletic Conference victory over the Vandals at Cowan Spectrum.

Gibson, who checked in for the first time at the 15:17 mark in the first half, finished with a team-best 16 points, and was also charged with guarding UI's most prolific 3-point threat in guard Mike Hall.

Hall, who set a school record with nine 3-pointers in a win against San Jose State on Thursday, went 1-for-7 from the arc and scored just 12 points under Gibson's watch.

"I just didn't want to let him shoot off the initial catch, make him shoot off the dribble," said Gibson, who allowed Hall to connect on just five of 13 shots from the field, a far cry from the 10-for-11 effort and 29 points the junior scored on SJSU. "I'm a little bit taller than he is, so I was trying to use my reach, you know, back up a little so he couldn't get around me."

As far as missing just his third start in 15 games, Gibson was less than contrite. He explained that the disciplinary decision was a family matter.

"Some things happened within the team and I felt like I was right, so did someone else, and that's what happens," he said.

"We're a family and when you disagree with the parents of the family you're going to get punished, you're going to get grounded.

"Whether right or wrong, they're going to be right."

Domestic disputes aside, the Rainbows (8-11, 4-3 WAC) and Gibson managed to put together a solid effort a long way from home.

UI (5-14, 2-6) and UH finished the first half tied at 24 and remained close through the early minutes of the second half until the Warriors found their stroke.

Jared Dillinger hit a pair of free throws to break a 28-all tie with 15:06 left in the game. That started Hawaii on a 10-3 run that was capped by a dunk and a layup from P.J. Owsley. The stretch gave the Warriors a 39-31 edge with just under 10 minutes to play.

Idaho pulled to within a point seven times after that, and tied the game once at 48 following a Clyde Johnson bucket with a little less than 3 minutes to play. Gibson broke the tie with a cut to the hoop and a layup and the Vandals wouldn't connect from the field for the rest of the night.

UI was forced to foul and UH responded, going 8-for-8 from the stripe in the game's final 2 minutes. Riley Luettgerodt hit Hawaii's biggest freebies, nailing all four of his attempts to push a one-point lead to five with 30 seconds left.

"Considering our loss at Boise State and the travel to get here, I thought our guys stayed focused, stayed within our game plan, executed for the most part throughout the game and beat a very good Idaho team," Hawaii coach Bob Nash said.

In addition to Gibson's strong night off the bench, Dillinger and Bobby Nash scored 12 points apiece, while Owsley also finished in double digits with 10.

UI point guard Jordan Brooks led all scorers with 17 points, most of which came thanks to a 9-for-10 night from the line.

Hawaii will return home for a two-game stand beginning Thursday with a WAC contest against New Mexico State (11-11, 5-2).