HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team faced their third consecutive loss, falling 82-76 to the UC Riverside Highlanders on Thursday night at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. This defeat leaves the Rainbow Warriors with a 14-14 overall record and 6-11 within the Big West Conference.
The game had significant consequences for the Big West standings. With this latest setback and CSU Bakersfield's overtime victory against Long Beach State, Hawaii now finds itself sitting eighth, half a game behind the Roadrunners. Meanwhile, UC Riverside improved to 19-11 with a conference record of 12-6, maintaining their fourth-place standing.
The match was tightly contested, especially during the first half, which featured three ties and eight lead changes. UH managed to secure a narrow 36-35 lead at halftime. The Highlanders had previously led 30-24, but the Rainbow Warriors closed the first period with a strong 12-5 run, highlighted by eight unanswered points.
Hawaii started strong with Gytis Nemeikša leading the charge, scoring 17 points. Ryan Rapp contributed significantly with 16 points, delivering an impressive performance by shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the rest of the team struggled from three-point territory, combining for just 3-of-18 shooting.
On the other side, UC Riverside made their mark with Barrington Hargress stepping up as the game's standout player, netting 25 points. His constant offensive pressure was complemented by Isaiah Moses and Kaleb Smith, who added 12 points each, fueling the Highlanders' second-half dominance.
The teams entered the second half neck-and-neck, with the Warriors momentarily slipping past the Highlanders 48-46 thanks to Marcus Greene's driving layup. But Riverside quickly regained control with a 14-3 run, capped by Smith's three-pointer, extending their lead to 60-51 with just under 11 minutes left.
Even when the Rainbow Warriors battled back to make it 69-64 with three minutes remaining on the clock, they were unable to convert on their next two possessions, allowing the Highlanders to stretch the lead back to nine points as they executed key baskets late in the game.
Both teams concluded the game shooting 48 percent from the field. UC Riverside's decisive edge at the free-throw line—17 of 20 attempts coming solely during the second half—proved invaluable. Hawaii, conversely, was flawless from the line, hitting all nine attempts, but it wasn’t enough.
Reflecting on the game, UC Riverside head coach Mike Magpayo expressed the importance of showing resilience after recent struggles. “We needed this win after dropping our last few games,” he said. “Our guys stepped up when they needed to, especially down the stretch.”
Looking forward, Hawaii prepares for its next challenge as they host their final home game of the season against UC Davis on Saturday, March 1, at 7:00 p.m. This upcoming match holds emotional weight for the Rainbow Warriors as they will honor five seniors during Senior Night festivities.
For the Highlanders, this victory marks a positive shift after last week's losses, setting the stage for their remaining games against CSU Northridge on March 6 and CSU Fullerton on March 8. With momentum on their side, Riverside hopes to climb higher within the conference standings as they push through the final stretch of the regular season.