The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team came up with its version of a feel-good performance for the holidays last night.

Forced to use a patchwork lineup due to injuries, the Rainbow Warriors beat Northwestern State, 80-76, to take take third place in the 42nd annual Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic.

"They all felt good afterwards," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said of his team. "And I felt good for them."

A crowd of 3,324 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows improve to 6-3. The Demons dropped to 7-4.

It wasn't exactly a Christmas miracle, but the victory was stunning nonetheless considering the 'Bows played without their best player, Julian Sensley, for the first time in his three seasons at UH.

Sensley, a 6-foot-9 senior forward, was diagnosed with a strained right achilles after Thursday's loss to Colorado State. He leads the team with 16.5 points and 3.7 assists per game.

"We know we're a good team no matter who we put on the floor," senior forward "Big Matt" Gipson said. "We have good team chemistry."

Without Sensley, the 'Bows relied on a balanced attack and a breakout game from true freshman Hiram Thompson.

Ahmet Gueye led Hawai'i with 18 points and eight rebounds. Gipson added 17 points and eight rebounds; Matt Lojeski had 17 points and six assists; Thompson, playing significant minutes for the first time this season, contributed 15 points and four assists.

"Who would have thought Hiram's going to come in and score 15 points for you," Wallace said. "He's slow, he's not fast, he's not quick. But he's a Ph.D. He's got really smart basketball savvy ... he's like a Larry Bird, mentally."

Thompson, a 6-2 point guard, ignited Hawai'i's rally to victory. When he entered, the 'Bows trailed 39-36.

He weaved his way through Northwestern State's full-court defense for several layups throughout the second half. He shot 7 of 10 from the field, including an off-balance jump shot just before the 35-second shot clock expired during a key possession late in the game.

"That's what I like, transition," Thompson said. "That's most of my game, transition and finding people, creating. So they played right into how I like to play."

Before yesterday, Thompson had appeared in just two games, getting a total of three points in seven minutes.

"He played like a lottery pick," Gipson said. "I think we're going to call him Lotto now."

Northwestern State head coach Mike McConathy said: "We were in pretty good shape until that one guy (Thompson) started making some unbelievable shots. I don't know what his name is, but he had a career game."

Thompson and fellow true freshman Dominic Waters got extended playing time yesterday because two other guards did not suit up.

Junior Bobby Nash has a sprained right shoulder. He will not play the rest of this season in an attempt to gain a medical redshirt. Also, junior "Little Matt" Gibson is recovering from a staph infection near his chest.

"When Sensley and Nash weren't going to be in the game, I said we got problems," McConathy said. "Because they will step up and execute like they have not executed before."

Sure enough, the 'Bows displayed teamwork, passing for 20 assists. Of Hawai'i's 30 made baskets, 20 came on layups or close-range shots.

"Sometimes, when we have Julian in there, he's our go-to guy," Lojeski said. "When things go down, we give him the ball. Today, we knew we had to get everybody involved."

Waters made his first start of the season and finished with two points and an assist.

Perhaps overlooked in the victory was the play of co-captain Deonte Tatum. The 6-3 senior switched from point guard to Sensley's small forward position, and came up with Sensley-like statistics — seven points, eight rebounds and six assists.

"This team is not going to make excuses about anything," he said. "Everybody is a big part of this team, so we all have to do our part."

Wallace said of Tatum: "If I had to pick an MVP, he's my MVP."

Hawai'i fell behind 7-0 to open the game, but got back in it with an 8-0 run. Thompson then scored four points during an 11-5 surge that gave the 'Bows a 23-17 lead with 10:01 remaining in the first half.

But the Demons outscored the 'Bows, 17-7, in the final six minutes of the half to take a 39-36 lead at intermission.

Thompson replaced Waters moments into the second half and stayed in the rest of the way. He scored four points during an 8-2 run that gave the 'Bows a 44-41 lead they would not lose in the final 18 minutes.

Hawai'i led by as many as nine, but the Demons closed to 77-76 with 20.1 seconds left on a 3-pointer by Luke Rogers.

Lojeski then made one of two free throws to give Hawai'i a 78-76 lead. Rogers then missed an open 3-pointer on Northwestern State's final possession.

"I knew he wasn't going to hit that shot," said Gipson, who grabbed the final rebound and then made two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining. "We were supposed to win that game. We fought our butts off and we deserved it."

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.