AJ Mitchell scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and UC Santa Barbara reclaimed the paint in today’s 77-71 victory over Hawaii in the UCSB Events Center.

It was tied at 69 when Mitchell slid off two screens to hit a jumper with 1:24 to play. UH center Bernardo da Silva was assessed his fifth foul on the play, and Mitchell’s ensuing free throw made it 72-69.

After UH freshman Tom Beattie scored on a drive, Mitchell answered with a jumper that hit the back of the rim and bounced through for a 74-71 lead.

Later, Jason Fontenet II ended the drama with two free throws with 11 seconds left.

The Rainbow Warriors’ three-game winning streak ended. The ‘Bows, who split this two-game road trip, fell to 15-12 and 7-8. The Gauchos, who entered having lost three in a row, improved to 14-11 and 7-8.