LAS VEGAS » University of Hawaii football coach Norm Chow, hands pressed on his hips, looked up at the numbers illuminated on the Sam Boyd Stadium scoreboard — Nevada-Las Vegas 39, Hawaii 37 — and stared as though if he glared at them long enough and hard enough they might change.

Just as how they had rolled like figures on a speedometer minutes earlier after the Rainbow Warriors had finally gone ahead 37-36 with 1 minute, 44 seconds remaining, seemingly headed for their first victory of the season.

Then, Chow, alone with his thoughts as the Rebels celebrated within earshot, and finally resigned to a sixth consecutive loss in this so-far winless season, looked at the ground and shook his head in disbelief.

After 15 losses in 18 games over a season and a half, the ‘Bows are still looking for their deliverance. They are still battling for a breakthrough. And it wasn’t to be found here in this inhospitable patch out in the desert, where UH has lost for the fifth time in the last six appearances.

This one leaves UH one of seven remaining winless teams in the 124-member Football Bowl Subdivision.

After finally playing well enough to pull out a game, this one still got away from them on a 51-yard drive that required just 1 minute, 39 seconds for a 44-yard field goal as time expired. Done in by kicker Nolan Kohorst, who had never kicked a game winner before to pull out a victory for a UNLV team that hadn’t won four games in a row in nearly 30 years.

After summoning the resolve to battle back from what had been a 36-17 fourth-quarter deficit, this fourth Mountain West Conference defeat came particularly hard.

"I’ll be honest, it hit like a ton of bricks," said quarterback Sean Schroeder, who had rallied UH to 20 consecutive points in a furious 6-minute, 27-second span and authored four touchdown passes without an interception for the night.

WHEN RECEIVER Chris Gant scored on a 44-yard pass from Schroeder to take the 37-36 lead, splitting two defenders for a touchdown that providence seemed to have had a hand in, the sizeable Hawaii segment in the crowd of 22,755 dared to dream the futility had ended.

So, too, did the players who made it happen.

"You kinda let your emotions get the best of you," Schroeder said. "I was excited. I thought it (victory) was coming. I thought we finally had a play that went our way."

Even a review by replay officials had gone UH’s way, voiding an apparent 27-yard catch by Maika Mataele.

Alas, the ‘Bows, for all their resilience, were ultimately done in by all-too-familiar means. They committed 10 penalties for 77 yards, a late face-mask infraction the last and most telling, helping UNLV to advance closer to field-goal range. Three times they were detected for substitution penalties. A personal foul and delay deadened drives.

After forging a 17-13 halftime lead — their only halftime advantage of the season — the ‘Bows gave up 23 unanswered points.

That’s how you make the longest game of your season to date, 3 hours 50 minutes, seem even longer.

"Coach Chow tells us it is not over until there’s zeroes on the scoreboard (clock)," Gant said.

A lesson the ‘Bows learned the hard way Saturday.

No matter how long or hard you might stare at the scoreboard afterward.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.