Welcome back, indeed.

Zane Johnson and Miah Ostrowski made timely returns to the Hawaii lineup in leading the Rainbow Warriors to a pressure-packed 91-87 win over New Mexico State on Saturday night.

The two captains were listed as questionable to doubtful entering the day, after missing Thursday’s loss against Louisiana Tech with illnesses. Johnson shook off the flu and exploded for seven 3-pointers and a season-high 29 points. Ostrowski, out for nearly a week with a staph infection, was cleared in the morning and dished eight assists to keep the UH offense humming.

"This was a huge confidence booster," said Ostrowski, who had four steals. "Coming off that (74-70) loss, we had to be ready, and I think everyone was.

"Everybody did their part across the board. … That’s how we gotta play if we’re going to be champions."

A Stan Sheriff Center crowd of about 6,000 saw the Rainbows (11-8 overall) get back on track and remain in the top half of the WAC standings (3-2) going into this week’s road trip to Utah State and Idaho. NMSU (14-6, 4-1) was denied its bid to keep pace with Nevada for first place.

Not by much, though. It certainly got interesting down the stretch.

UH built a 19-point second-half lead at 74-55 on Johnson’s final 3-pointer with less than 10 minutes to play, and appeared to be coasting to the victory. But that large advantage ended up being just enough to hold on. The Aggies hit UH with a small lineup and an airtight fullcourt press that forced six UH turnovers in the final 6 minutes.

With the crowd going into a panic, backup point guard Shaquille Stokes finally sealed it with two free throws with 10.6 seconds left.

"We were able to pull it out in the end, and they made it exciting," UH coach Gib Arnold said, crediting NMSU coach Marvin Menzies with the late surge. "I think it was as good a win as I’ve had since I’ve been here, considering the circumstances and that caliber of a team playing very, very good basketball."

NMSU’s six-game winning streak was snapped as it gave up a season high in points. Junior forward Joston Thomas had 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists and junior center Vander Joaquim overcame two early fouls and a scoreless first half to post 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against the aggressive NMSU front line.

Arnold called backup center Davis Rozitis the MVP of the game for giving him nine points, five rebounds and three blocks before fouling out with 1:55 left — in the first half. The 14 minutes of bought time allowed Joaquim to play long stretches with confidence late in the game.

"(Rozitis) played his heart out. I kept him in there, told him to play hard, and if you foul out, foul out," Arnold said.

UH succeeded in out-boarding the top rebounding team in the WAC 45-41, and the ‘Bows sizzled from long range — 9-for-17 (52.9 percent). Johnson alone went 7-for-13.

"I knew I was going to play," Johnson said. "It just felt good to be out there with the guys and get that win. … We want to win a WAC championship. Just the fact that (Miah and I) can come in and provide that spark is enough for us, because all we want to do is win."

UH made full use of its practice the day after the loss to LaTech, scheming to hit talented NMSU with multiple defenses. The ‘Bows succeeded in throwing off the Aggies — particularly the WAC’s top scorer and rebounder Wendell McKines — with a series of box and 1s, triangle and 2s, 2-3 zones and more.

McKines was held to two points and three rebounds at halftime. He would finish with 14 points on 6-for-15 shooting, and nine rebounds.

On the other hand, 16 of UH’s 21 turnovers were on NMSU steals, including five picks by point guard Hernst Laroche. It might give NMSU something to think about heading into the rematch in Las Cruces, N.M., on Feb. 23.

"We gotta work on that, just our press break," Ostrowski said. "Simple mistakes, just mentally. …They’re a long team, and I think that’s what gave us a lot of problems."