They are returning empty-handed.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team played catch-up from start to finish and still came away the losers, 71-55, at the Bren Events Center against the UC Irvine Anteaters on Saturday.

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Akira Jacobs was the only UH player to break double digits with 12 in the loss. The next closest was Marcus Greene with eight.

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Miles Che led a four-pack of Anteaters who broke double digits with 17 while Devin Tillis had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

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UH found themselves in a deep hole immediately when UCI scored the first 11 points of the game while UH went 0-for-4 from the field and committed three turnovers in their first seven possessions. At one point, UH was down badly, 20-7, and things did not get any easier.

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UH put up a better fight and cut the gap down to 34-24 by halftime.

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In the second half, things still did not improve, as Irvine extended its lead to 15. UH did make a push however.

UH went on a 10-0 run capped by triples from Greene and Harry Rouhliadeff and pulled within four; unfortunately, UCI's Justin Hohn silenced them with back-to-back triples that led to 11 unanswered points for Irvine. UH never got any closer after that.

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UH now drops into a tie for seventh place in the standings at 4-5 in Big West play and 12-8 overall. They will now return home for two games at the Stan Sheriff Center starting with the UC San Diego Tritons on Thursday, Jan. 30 followed by the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Saturday, Feb. 1. Both tipoffs are scheduled for 7 p.m. HST and can be heard on the radio at ESPN Honolulu and seen on Spectrum Sports.