Rock fight. Slugfest. Three-legged race. Who’s up for one of those tonight?

Joe Callero and Cal Poly, that’s who.

“Excellent words. I’ll give you headlines right there,” he mused Friday. “ ‘Coach hopes for rock fight.’ ”

Hawaii will settle for any kind of victory at Mott Athletics Center coming off its 84-82 overtime defeat at UC Santa Barbara on Thursday night. The Rainbow Warriors chased UCSB most of the way, even claiming leads late in regulation and early in the extra period, but were unable to KO the talented, flashy Gauchos.

Cal Poly is more like a basement brawler who’s seen far better days, seeking a clinch or whatever other tools are handy to keep things close. UH prevailed in such a scuffle, 57-45, in Honolulu on Jan. 10. It was a painful display that had even the hardiest geologists glancing at their timepieces.

“Absolutely it can happen again. I think that it’s gotta happen again,” Callero said with a laugh. “A rock fight is the way Cal Poly has a chance to win every game. It’s gotta be an old-fashioned slugfest where you either don’t get anything easy in transition, that you harass if you get the ball inside.”

The Mustangs (7-15, 2-6 Big West) came back late for a 71-68 home win over last-place UC Riverside on Wednesday.

UH (13-7, 4-3), on its first losing streak of the season, fell from third to sixth in the tightly packed Big West.

The Rainbows drove a couple of hours up the coast to San Luis Obispo on Friday and got in a practice. Coach Eran Ganot downplayed concern about an emotional reset on a tight turnaround.

“I think the guys are always pretty good at that,” he said via phone interview. “You gotta shift gears quick. It’s easy to say, hard to do, but you gotta do it. If we’re not able to do that, it’ll affect us today and tomorrow.”

Behind guards Donovan Fields (14.0 ppg) and Victor Joseph (13.9), Cal Poly still leads the league in 3-pointers made (8.7) and attempted (23.8). The Mustangs’ other above-average attribute is ball control, at just 11.2 turnovers per game.

UH held the Mustangs to 3-for-19 from long range in the teams’ Honolulu meeting. It represents the ’Bows’ best defensive effort of the season.

“I think over the last couple years it’s been a little like that, and sometimes it’s been high scoring because this is a team that spreads you out and shoots the 3,” Ganot said of the series, which has gone six straight to UH. “But, look, we’re playing a Cal Poly team that’s coming off a win, that’s had an extra day, always good at home and they have a lot of weapons … the best-shooting team in our league.”

After going without a close loss (five points or fewer) all season, UH has two in the last two games. Thursday marked the first career overtime loss for coach Ganot, against four wins.

Guard Brocke Stepteau nearly led the ’Bows to victory in his return from a two-game injury absence, hitting the tying 3 with 6.6 seconds left in regulation among his 13 points and six assists. But he got blocked along the baseline at the overtime horn.

“We know what kind of anchor he is, to be out two games … and how much confidence they had in him, getting him right back in there and playing those (28) minutes,” Callero said.

Stepteau’s hit multiple 3s in his last six games, raising his shooting percentage from deep to .481. That’s a record-setting pace; Bert Woodard holds the school season mark of .479 in the 1991-92 campaign.

Mike Thomas had 27 points and 10 rebounds at UCSB, his fifth double-double of the season. (He was initially shown as having 25 points but was awarded two more after the game, taking two from Stepteau).

Callero noted strong, athletic 6-7 forwards have been a Mustangs weakness all season. Thomas has 53 points in the last two games.

“Our No. 1 priority has to be containing Thomas’ quick scoring opportunities and rebounding the ball,” Callero said. “When you look at the rebounding numbers with our team, they’re startling when we’re not successful.”