Qingdao, China » Goodwill exhibition games can still sting like spicy Far East cuisine.

A comeback bid by the Hawaii men’s basketball team fell just short and the Rainbow Warriors lamented some defensive errors in an 81-80 loss to the Qingdao Eagles of the Chinese Basketball Association on Friday night.

"They say that a loss by one point hurts the most and a win by one point is the sweetest," said sophomore center Davis Rozitis, who scored UH’s final basket to give the ‘Bows a chance at the end. "(The loss) hurt us, but we gotta get better on defense. Coach is going to analyze it tomorrow, and we’re going to move on from our mistakes."

A rocking crowd of nearly 4,000 in Gao Mi Fu Ri gym chanted enthusiastically all game, helping make up for the fact that UH was operating with a 10-player roster and Qingdao was obviously not in midseason form.

When the game might have gotten away from UH, it instead turned into a last-second thriller.

Freshman point guard Shaquille Stokes had an open 15-footer from the right elbow to beat the Chinese professionals. After he came off a screen drawn up in a timeout, his shot looked pure — but the ball caromed off.

"Guaranteed next time I’m going to make that shot," Stokes said.

The Rainbows minimized their mistakes early and fell into step behind Stokes, who scored 19 of his 23 points in the first half to help UH take a seven-point lead at the break. But the older Eagles exploited their size advantage to battle back and claim a 64-63 lead after three quarters, and then ran off a 9-0 run to open the fourth.

UH, on tired legs with a seven-man rotation, could have folded late as it did in its scrimmage loss to Team Australia at the start of the trip. It didn’t.

Junior forward Hauns Brereton, who scored eight of his 18 points in the fourth, powered the Rainbows back into the game by outworking the Eagles on the glass for putbacks and free throws. He even had a tip attempt on Stokes’ miss at the buzzer, but it was batted to a Qingdao player.

Rozitis, UH’s only true post player on the trip, scored 13 points, and junior forward Joston Thomas had 12.

Despite the size differential, the difference came on the perimeter. Qingdao guard Li Geng lit up the Rainbows for 33 points, including six 3-pointers, which incensed UH coach Gib Arnold.

Arnold wouldn’t stay heated for long, though, especially once his team buckled down in the final 2 minutes to give itself a chance. After giving up consecutive dunks to make it 81-74 Qingdao, UH forced tough shots and turnovers.

Forty minutes of the Eagles’ combative style took its toll. The CBA team wasn’t the most skilled, but certainly didn’t lack for size. Its guards, especially Li, punished UH by posting up on the smaller ‘Bows and kicking out for 3-pointers when the double-team arrived.

"Just an unbelievable experience," Arnold said. "To come in this, be part of this crowd, and a very good pro team, and played well. I thought we played really well. We did some really nice things as a team, and made a run and got up, and then they made a run and it looked like we were out, and we came back and fought.

"Had a perfect wide-open shot at the buzzer to beat ’em, on an away floor, and that’s all you can really ask for. … Obviously we’ve got a long ways to go, but overall I thought it was great."

UH hadn’t scouted Qingdao at all before the game. Some scheduling miscommunication had the ‘Bows expecting to play another CBA team, Shandong. But it really didn’t matter; advance scouting was minimal and UH knew it would have to adjust on the fly.

Ultimately, Arnold thought his Rainbow Warriors acquitted themselves well in unfamiliar territory against an unfamiliar team.

"The heart was there, the legs weren’t always there," Arnold said. "We zoned a lot this game because I thought we had to. When we went man, they isolated us in the low post, and their guards were huge."

Rozitis acknowledged that watching the large Chinese players in pregame layup lines was a little unnerving.

"Before the game, they looked so big," the 7-foot Latvian said. "But once we start the game, they’re as human as we are."

UH was without senior guard Zane Johnson, the team’s top shooter, who is out with a sprained ankle. Brereton, Stokes and freshman guard Brandon Jawato, the other top marksmen on the trip, didn’t hit from outside consistently.

The Rainbows are scheduled for a rematch with the Eagles on Sunday night at Qingdao’s home arena.

"We know who shoots and we’ll be ready for them," Brereton said.