Despite another solid effort against a solid team, Hawaii got Rolled.

Thanks mostly to 23 points and 17 rebounds from Louisiana Tech center Magnum Rolle, the Rainbow Warriors gradually lost control and couldn't complete a late rally in a 65-60 Bulldogs victory last night at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Offensive flow was at a premium for both teams, but the lanky 6-foot-11 senior was the difference as he kept possessions alive and punished the Rainbows around the rim before a crowd of 3,903. He tied a career high in boards before he fouled out with 19.6 seconds left.

LaTech (18-3, 6-1) reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Western Athletic Conference standings. UH (9-11, 2-5) remained in seventh place, but missed out on another chance to take a game from one of the league's top-tier teams at home. After losing narrowly in the final two contests of its three-game homestand to quality teams New Mexico State and Tech, the Rainbows face the daunting task of playing four of the next five games on the road, starting Thursday at San Jose State.

Tech's top player, Kyle Gibson, an 89.3 percent free-throw shooter entering the game, missed the front end of two straight 1-and-1s in the final minute, which allowed UH to pull within 61-59 on a Jeremy Lay take to the basket with 33.8 seconds left. But UH couldn't buy a 3-pointer late (going 1-for-13 for the game) and Gibson redeemed himself to hit his last four at the line to seal it.

UH committed a season-low five turnovers, but got little production from its depleted and overtaxed backcourt of Hiram Thompson and Lay, who combined to shoot 3-for-19 in 78 minutes.

UH did get a career-high 20 points and nine rebounds from forward Brandon Adams, who has become a big source of offense in starting his fourth straight game.

Adams shook his head about missed assignments down low, primarily on Rolle, as Tech outrebounded UH 43-32. Rolle had nine offensive rebounds and shot 11-for-18.

“;He was just getting basically everything he could, that was basically all missed assignments, there's nothing else you can say about that,”; Adams said. “;(We missed) lot of easy box-outs. Coach (Bob) Nash was talking about effort and just doing small things.”;

Tech prevented its first losing streak of the season after losing at San Jose State on Thursday.

“;Normally we try to come out with energy and attack and push the ball,”; Rolle said. “;In California, we came out slow and sluggish. That kind of helped us, in a way because it forced us to refocus.”;

That's exactly what Hawaii must do to stay ahead of Idaho (1-5) and Boise State (0-7) at the bottom of the league. The return of Roderick Flemings (17 points, six rebounds) and Petras Balocka (seven points, six boards) to the starting lineup wasn't enough for UH, which steadily fell behind in the second half.

A Jamel Guyton basket off a steal in the open court capped a 12-4 Tech run midway through the period for a 54-45 Bulldogs lead.

The Rainbows cut it to 56-52 on a pair of Flemings free throws with 2:58 left. Tech stayed comfortably ahead with a David Jackson jumper to make it 61-53 with 1:17 to play, but then the inexplicable happened.

Flemings guarded Gibson for most of the game, helping limit him to a 5-for-19 shooting night. Tech still shot 46.3 percent from the field vs. 37.1 percent by UH.

“;We knew it was going to be a fight,”; Bulldogs coach Kerry Rupp said. “;We had to get rebounds and execute on the offensive end. The play near the end where we got Magnum right (from Gibson for a 58-52 lead) was key.”;

UH hung with Tech in the first half thanks to the sustained production of Adams. The senior missed his first jumper, then made six straight shots on an assortment of hustle plays and baseline baskets.

The Bulldogs, though, got tremendous output from Rolle. He put up 13 points and eight rebounds in the first half, enough to help give Tech a 31-30 halftime lead despite just six points in the period from Gibson.

“;I thought Magnum Rolle played exceptionally well,”; Nash said. “;He was the big difference ... then you have to look at what (Jamel) Guyton (14 points, 11 rebounds) did at the guard position. Those two guys were a major factor against us tonight. I thought we did a pretty good job of containing Gibson ... I thought our guys gave great effort, and I can live with that on a nightly basis.”;

The Rainbows were without second-leading scorer Dwain Williams for the third straight game. Williams went to the mainland for his cousin's funeral. Thompson struggled with a sore foot that's bothered him the last few games—especially with the increased workload.