Rainbows outshoot the beach

Hawaii proved itself more than ready to snap out of a two-game slide.

The Rainbow Warriors pounced on slumping Long Beach State 78-59 with big nights from four players and evened their Big West record at 7-7 as the conference tournament looms.

UH (19-11 overall) moved into sole possession of sixth place by taking its only game of the week in emphatic fashion and avenging a 15-point loss at LBSU’s Pyramid on Jan. 31.

Negus Webster-Chan hit five of his six 3-pointers in the first half en route to a career-high 20 points; guard Garrett Nevels added 14 points, nine rebounds and one massive block; point guard Roderick Bobbitt scored 15 points, dealt five assists and collected his usual three steals; and forward Stefan Jankovic had 12 points and five of UH’s eight blocks.

UH overcame a 19-turnover night by shooting 50.9 percent from the field and holding The Beach to 30.6 percent in improving to 5-2 at the Stan Sheriff Center in Big West play.

Lifted by Webster-Chan’s early barrage — including a personal 9-0 run with three straight 3s — UH claimed a 10-point halftime lead.

He’s sought his shot more aggressively in recent weeks as the team has dealt with several injuries.

"They told me I had the highest percentage on the team (41.1 percent entering the night)," Webster-Chan said. "They wanted me to take more 3s and that’s what I’m doing for them."

The Rainbows then saw their lead shrink to three as they went more than the first six minutes of the second half without a field goal. But Webster-Chan’s career-high-tying sixth 3, from straightaway, stopped the drought with 13:50 to play.

A Thursday crowd of 4,904 got its loudest during an 11-0 run to go back up double digits at the midpoint of the second half.

"Every team goes through them," UH coach Benjy Taylor said of the drought. "It’s how you respond back.

"We came out (of a timeout), we executed, and we got done what we needed to get done."

Nevels punctuated the game’s defensive effort with a rejection of 49ers forward David Samuels at the rim with 5:13 to go. Nevels yelled out in elation as his teammates sprinted the other way.

From there, the rout was on.

"That was the play of the game," Webster-Chan said.

Nevels said: "I live for those type of moments. Big man going up for a layup or a dunk and I’m 6-2, I go up and block that. That’s why I work so hard. … I was just glad I was able to pull it off tonight."

Up next is senior night on Wednesday against UC Santa Barbara. Nevels will be the only senior honored.

LBSU (13-16, 7-6) was sent to its fifth straight defeat. The 49ers’ tailspin after a 7-1 league start continued unabated as point guard Mike Caffey shot 4-for-17 from the field and was held to 11 points. In the home-and-home season series, LBSU’s best player went 6-for-28.

After the defeat, 49ers coach Dan Monson spoke to his team at length in the visitors’ locker room.

"Bobbitt really does a good job on (Caffey), but it’s our fifth straight loss and he struggled shooting the ball all five games (of the losing streak) and we gotta get him back in rhythm for us to have a chance," Monson said.

UH played from ahead far better than its loss at The Beach’s Pyramid, in which it started the game 12-0.

"The first (meeting) we were able to get back into it by halftime and got to play ahead in the second half," Monson said. "It’s really hard to play from behind on the road against a team like that with a lot of energy. I think that was a big part of it."

Guard Isaac Fleming missed his third straight game with a sprained right ankle, but UH got forwards Aaron Valdes and Mike Thomas back in action.

Both returnees were quiet. Valdes had five points on 2-for-8 shooting with five rebounds and Thomas was scoreless in 11 minutes.

"I should have sat Mike. Mike’s not ready to play," Taylor said. "Of course, we need Isaac. We had enough tonight to win."

Taylor said Fleming has a high ankle sprain and did not specify when the freshman is expected to return.

Webster-Chan’s fourth 3 of the half fell through on a very favorable bounce, but his fifth was all net. He had a chance at a sixth late in the period, but his deep transition attempt hit front iron even as the crowd rose up in anticipation.

His 15 points in the period on 5-for-9 shooting buoyed UH to a 39-29 halftime advantage.