UC Santa Barbara arrived as the most offensively accomplished team in the Big West Conference.
But Hawaii accomplished one more point than the Gauchos on Saturday night, escaping with a nonetheless impressive 77-76 win before a relieved Stan Sheriff Center crowd of 4,401.
Gibson Johnson scored 18 points and hit the deciding free throw with 8.1 seconds left, putting the Rainbow Warriors (12-5, 3-1 Big West) out of tying range from Marcus Jackson’s corner 3-pointer at the horn.
UCSB (12-5, 1-2), which has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround from a season ago, rallied furiously from 16 points down in the second half behind 19 points in the period from Max Heidegger, the conference’s leading scorer who finished right on his average with 22.
After Sheriff Drammeh missed two at the line and Heidegger pulled up into a 3, UCSB took a hard foul immediately on Johnson. He was good on the first, making his missed second shot moot.
“Game over. I thought it was game over,” said Johnson, who was 8-for-9 from the field. “I knew I was good for at least one.”
And now UH is a game out of first place in the conference with two more games on its homestand. It heads into Saturday’s contest against UC Davis, another contender, having won three straight.
“Really thankful for our fans. They were tremendous,” UH coach Eran Ganot said.
“That was a heck of a game, heck of an atmosphere. That’s what you want to play in. … It was going to be a tough game for the full 40. Proud of our guys for finishing strong.”
Brocke Stepteau had 12 points and five assists for the ’Bows, shaking off a sprained finger, while Mike Thomas and Drammeh added 11 apiece.
Each member of the Gauchos’ starting five scored in double figures, accounting for all but six of their points.
“That team had a lot of hype,” Thomas said. “They were talked about as a top team in the conference. I guess we took that personally today.”
First-half foul trouble for Thomas and Johnson could not prevent UH from taking a 42-33 lead at halftime.
On Star Wars night, Johnson struck back, earning and-1 baskets with his old-school post-up game a minute apart for a 14-point lead.
“They’re strong, talented bigs. I knew I had to get to my angles in order to score,” Johnson said. “Them being so physical, you can kind of play that to your own advantage.”
After beating Cal Poly by 12 in a rock fight on Wednesday, UH connected on its first seven shots and eight of its first nine.
“The first five-minute segment we gave up 20 points,” UCSB first-year coach Joe Pasternack said. “It might be an NCAA record.
“We understand it’s not an easy place to play.”
Heidegger was held to three points and two fouls in the first half. But when Stepteau left with 15:04 left with a finger sprain, UH up 55-39, it was Heidegger time.
He sank three straight 3s to cap a 13-0 run.
“Stay composed. Those are some crazy shots that he’s hitting,” said Thomas, who as a high school freshman saw a 12-year-old Heidegger put up 72 against a JV team. “That kid is special. But runs like that, you gotta stick to who you are. You can’t get crazy.”
Stepteau, who dislocated his finger on the ground going for a steal, returned with a splint on his shooting hand and UH stopped the bleeding momentarily, going back up seven.
“My finger didn’t feel good, but I still wanted to do everything I could,” Stepteau said. “I still had the assignment of guarding Gabe Vincent, who’s a good player.”
Johnson blocked Jalen Canty (16 points, eight rebounds) on a putback try, preserving a four-point lead going into the final minute. Drew Buggs hit a corner 3 for a 72-65 lead, but Drammeh fouled Heidegger on a 3 with 42.9 seconds left. He made all three to bring his team back within four. Buggs and Drammeh made their next four at the line before Johnson iced it.
