Better was not good enough.

​

The University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team desperately needed a win to improve their chances of making the Big West Tournament but came away the losers once again to the UC Riverside Highlanders, 82-76, at the Stan Sheriff Center on Thursday. The loss assures the 'Bows of a losing conference record, as they fall to 6-11 and an even 14-14 overall in 2024-25.

​

Gytis Nemeikša led the 'Bows for the first time in a while with 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting. He was followed by Ryan Rapp's 16 on 6-for-11 shooting, and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor chipped in 11 on 5-for-9 shooting.

​

Barrington Hargress led the Highlanders and all players with a whopping 25 on 9-for-19 shooting. Kaleb Smith and Isaiah Moses each had 14 themselves with Moses getting a team-high seven rebounds.

​

Rapp drew first blood with a triple, and UH was able to grasp control. While Riverside made some pushes and took the lead on occasion, UH did not let them get away. Rapp also was able to score double-digits before the end of the first half.

Nemeikša came off the bench to pour in 11 points of his own before the first half concluded.

​

Both teams traded the lead off and on, but Tom Beattie gave the 'Bows the lead, 36-35, off a driving layup with 30 seconds left for the final arithmetic of the first half.

​

Hunkin-Claytor began the second half with a second-chance jumper just one minute in, but UCR's Niyi Olabode sank a triple to tie the score at 38.

​

It was a close battle until Riverside uncorked a 14-3 run off some off-balance shots, including at least three triples, that went in and gave Riverside as much as a nine-point advantage.

​

From that point on, UH trailed the rest of the way. They cut the gap down to five, 65-60, with 4:47 remaining off a Beattie layup, but UH came up empty on the next few possessions, and UCR motored away.

​

With the loss, UH drops to eighth overall in the standings after Bakersfield defeated Long Beach State in overtime off a Jemel Jones buzzer beater earlier this week. They will need to win at least two of their final three games to guarantee a spot in the Big West Tournament.

​

UH will conclude its home season with a matchup against the UC Davis Aggies at 7 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday, Mar. 1. You can listen to the game on ESPN Honolulu or watch on Spectrum Sports. Five seniors will be honored at the end of the game.