SAN DIEGO, Calif. — It is a small sample, granted, but the road has not been kind to the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team. Specifically, it has not been kind to the Rainbow Warriors' defense.

The 'Bows are 0 for 2 on the Mainland this season after an 81-67 loss at the hands of the University of San Diego yesterday afternoon.

As was the case 11 days earlier at New Mexico, the 'Bows allowed too many easy shots and too high a shooting percentage. The Toreros shot 61.3 percent in the first half en route to a final mark of 57.1 percent.

"I thought our guys gave good effort," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "But it wasn't for the full 40 (minutes). When you're on the road, it's got to be for the full 40."

There was a full 40 for Hawai'i on the road if you consider the first half at New Mexico and the second half yesterday. New Mexico shot a remarkable 75.9 percent in the final 20 minutes against Hawai'i, 61 percent for the game.

"That second half and this first half were really bad," center Stephen Verwers said.

More than a few teams have wilted when faced with the challenge of The Pit, New Mexico's imposing home arena. The Lobos play 5,300 feet above sea level, and they had 13,518 rabid fans in full lung for the 'Bows.

San Diego's campus, meanwhile, is about 80 feet above sea level with a view of the eastern Pacific. Given that it was a sunny Sunday afternoon, there no doubt were more students at the shore than the 1,921 sedate spectators in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

"No excuses," Nash said.

Hawai'i dropped to 2-4, with two losses to the Toreros. San Diego improved to 4-5.

At least Nash has a month to consider how to solve the road riddle. The 'Bows don't return to the Mainland again until they open Western Athletic Conference play Jan. 3 at Utah State.

Nash can take immediate comfort in the fact he won't see the USD duo of Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare again this season. The Toreros' outside-inside tandem were effective in both ends of the home-and-home non-conference series.

Johnson scored a season-high 25 points yesterday, hitting on four 3-pointers. Pomare patrolled the lane and had 18 points and eight rebounds.

They were similarly effective when the 'Bows opened the season with a 73-72 home loss to the Toreros on Nov. 9. Johnson had 19 points then, and Pomare had 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Hawai'i played the opener and three more games without senior guard Matt Gibson. He made his first start of the season yesterday, but his presence in the rematch did not change Hawai'i's fortunes, as Gibson scored six points on 3-of-11 shooting.

Forward Bobby Nash had 15 points to share the team scoring lead with Verwers, but he was on the bench as the Toreros asserted control of the game. Nash played only five minutes in the first half after drawing three quick fouls.

Guard Riley Luettgerodt scored 14 points, and guard Jared Dillinger had 11 points off the bench.

The 'Bows jumped to an early 12-6 lead, but Johnson sparked a 22-4 USD surge with three 3-point shots in a three-minute span. When the run ended, the Toreros led 28-16.

"We shared the ball a lot," Johnson said. "We had way more assists (15) than we usually have. When everybody gets the ball, it makes you want to play harder."

The 'Bows never stopped playing hard, as their 11-5 advantage in offensive rebounds suggests. But they still found themselves down by 23, at 69-46, with 13 minutes to play. Finally, the defense stiffened, and USD scored only one point over the next eight minutes as Hawai'i pulled within 70-60.

Verwers had seven points during that span en route to a new career-high in scoring.

"It's really good that our guys came back, battled back and fought hard," Verwers said, "but we can't put ourselves in that position, especially on the road."

The last five minutes belonged to USD, leaving any silver linings a bit tarnished.

"I don't take any positives out of getting my (tail) kicked," Bob Nash said. "There's no positives in that. We didn't get the job done."

The 'Bows are scheduled to return to Honolulu today. Their next game is scheduled for Sunday against Long Beach State in the Stan Sheriff Center.