Maybe the lights should have stayed off.

For the second time in four years, the same former Western Athletic Conference rival foiled Hawaii in its signature tournament. One night after an island-wide blackout, Colorado State stunned the listless Rainbow Warriors, 74-58, before a crowd of 3,958 in the opening round of the 45th Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The Rainbows are banished to the consolation bracket and can do no better than fifth place in the swan song of the longest-running eight-team tournament in the country. A first-time Classic winner is now guaranteed on Tuesday.

“;It hurts, but with tournaments you gotta come out and play the next day still,”; said forward Bill Amis, who shook his head when asked if the blackout affected the team's game preparation.

“;If we come out, we execute, and we play hard, we beat teams like that,”; he said. “;We didn't do one of those things.”;

UH (6-4) meets George Washington (6-3) at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow. Colorado State (4-8) snapped a six-game losing streak and will face Vermont (7-3) in the semifinals at 11 a.m.

The blackout lasted until yesterday morning, but it looked like the Rainbows were playing in the dark again in the second half. A two-point halftime lead became a double-digit deficit with 7 minutes, 50 seconds left. UH shot 26.1 percent in the second period for just 22 points and committed 11 of their 18 turnovers.

Roderick Flemings led the Rainbows with 22 points, but no one else scored in double figures for UH, which had its six-game home winning streak snapped. Petras Balocka battled foul trouble early and finished with just one point (12 below his average).

The Rams went to a zone the whole game and often pressured Hawaii fullcourt, slowing the Rainbows as they tried to initiate their flex-motion offense in the halfcourt.

“;We couldn't make shots, our energy level was down,”; said Hawaii coach Bob Nash. “;Give Colorado State credit—they had a great game plan, put pressure on us, got some run-outs. (We) got out of character a little bit tonight, and I'm disappointed in the loss.”;

UH has a four-game losing streak in Classic games after last year's 0-3 performance.

Points were hard to come by for the 'Bows after halftime, as UH scored just eight over the first 10 minutes.

Conversely, the Rams' Marcus Walker went for 13 of his team-high 16 points in the second half. CSU shot 55.6 percent in the period with an inside-out game that resulted in a 34-18 total advantage in points in the paint.

CSU was runner-up to Iowa State in the 2005 Classic after knocking out Hawaii in the semifinals, 67-61. The Rams earned their first road win since Jan. 17, 2007, breaking a streak of 24 road losses.

“;We had two good practices and some days off,”; said CSU coach Tim Miles. “;That helped because we'd been playing poorly.”;

Leroy Lutu Jr. rolled his ankle during the darkness of the island-wide blackout, and did not dress for the game.

Kareem Nitoto hit Paul Campbell for a reverse layup just before the buzzer to give UH a 36-34 lead at halftime. Flemings had 11 points before intermission.

Vermont 83, George Washington 72

Marqus Blakely powered the Catamounts into the tournament semifinals with a complete game as four Vermont players scored in double figures.

Blakely scored 13 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked four shots and notched four assists. Maurice Joseph scored a team-high 18 points, and Mike Trimboli added 15 and Colin McIntosh 14.

George Washington (6-3) cut a 14-point lead by Vermont (7-3) to five with less than 3 minutes left, but Vermont beat GW's pressure for an 8-2 run to seal the game.

“;I thought that was a good win for us—GW plays really hard,”; said Vermont coach Mike Lonergan. “;I thought we did a really good job mixing our defenses and not allowing them to get open looks from the outside.”;

Rob Diggs led the Colonials—who brought their mascot and cheerleaders from Washington, D.C.—with 25 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 14 rebounds.