Negus Webster-Chan is a very funny guy.

But his coach, Benjy Taylor, was much more amused with the small forward’s 20 points as Hawaii beat Long Beach State 78-59 on Thursday night than he was by the sharpshooter’s latest gag at the shoot-around earlier in the day.

“He jumps on top of a ball and falls down and starts grabbing his ankle,” Taylor said.

Webster-Chan started laughing.

“I’m just messing with you Coach.”

But ankle injuries are not a laughing matter to Taylor, considering Webster-Chan is just one of several Rainbow Warriors who have missed games due to sprains.

“That’s not the way to mess with me,” the coach said.

With guard Isaac Fleming out and forward Mike Thomas still not at full speed due to them, the last thing UH needs is another ankle injury.

Especially to Webster-Chan, since the Missouri transfer is blossoming at just the right time, as the Rainbow Warriors head toward the Big West tournament.

Webster-Chan’s three consecutive 3-pointers gave UH early control against the 49ers.

“I was just getting warmed up,” he said.

And if you didn’t see it or didn’t have a stat sheet in front of you there was no way to know how hot his hand was.

“I’m just a laid-back guy even on the court. That’s pretty much it,” he said.

His six bombs for the game gave him 57 for the season. It moved him past Long Beach State’s Mike Caffey up to eight in the Big West, as Caffey made just one of seven.

That was another part of the story of UH’s victory, as the Rainbow Warriors’ defense kept the 49ers marquee players — Caffey and Tyler Lamb — under wraps with 11 and 10 points on a combined 7-for-25 shooting night.

Defense is a big reason why Hawaii has won 19 games. But if UH is to peak at the right time, it will count heavily on Webster-Chan’s long-range shooting.

As teams have to account for Webster-Chan more and more, stretched defenses will be more vulnerable to penetration by Roderick Bobbitt, Garrett Nevels and, when he returns, Fleming.

“I told (Webster-Chan) before the game we need four 3s from you,” Nevels said. “He said, ‘I got you.’ He came out hitting and it was a big boost for us.”

Webster-Chan wasn’t aware that he scored a career-high until told afterward.

“I didn’t even know that. But that’s good I guess,” he said.

He said he and forward Stefan Jankovic were inspired by a visit Wednesday with 14-year old T.J. Fernandez.

“He has an inoperable brain tumor. We can’t do much for him but pray,” Webster-Chan said. “Before the game we say prayers. And me and Stef dedicated the rest of the season to him.”

Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.