The roller-coaster season for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team took another thrilling turn last night.

The Rainbow Warriors rallied from a 14-point deficit in the game's final 10 minutes to score an improbable 71-66 victory over Utah State.

An energized crowd of 4,849 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows knock the Aggies out of first place.

"It's just one of those teams that no matter what the situation, we're never going to give up," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said.

Hawai'i — which was coming off a 20-point loss at Nevada — improved to 11-12 overall and 7-4 in the WAC with its fifth consecutive home victory. The 'Bows are still in fifth place, but just two games behind new leader Boise State (which is 10-3).

"To be able to beat one of the top teams in the conference when nobody gives you a chance to be successful, I think it speaks volumes for how hard these guys work every day," Nash said.

Utah State dropped to 18-8 and fell from first place to third at 8-3.

"Disappointed and sad," Utah State head coach Stew Morrill said. "I'm sure (the 'Bows) feel like they won it. I feel like we lost it. Just gave it away. Just handed them the game."

Hawai'i got a fabulous effort from its five starters, with all five scoring in double-figures. The starting five also played the entire second half.

Matt Gibson and Riley Luettgerodt led the way with 16 points each. Jared Dillinger added 14, including the go-ahead basket with 1:03 remaining. Bill Amis added 10 points and nine rebounds, and Bobby Nash contributed 10 points.

"I didn't know it was 14," Luettgerodt said of the deficit. "But we were never rattled. For the most part, we weren't getting out of what we normally do."

The Aggies had a 57-43 lead with 9:46 remaining, but Hawai'i out-scored them 28-9 the rest of the way.

The 'Bows did it with a pressure defense that caused 20 turnovers. Utah State's miscues led directly to 24 points for Hawai'i.

Utah State senior point guard Kris Clark entered the game as the WAC's leader in assists with 6.4 per game. He finished with nine assists, but also committed nine turnovers.

"Turn it over, turn it over, turn it over for layups," Morrill lamented. "Just totally lost our composure. Panicked. We panicked and didn't make solid plays."

On the other end, Hawai'i made solid plays down the stretch.

Luettgerodt was particularly effective, scoring 10 of his points in the final 10:12 of the game.

"I just made it a point in the second half ... I told myself to be aggressive and get to the hoop," he said. "Then (defensively) was active in the passing lanes."

Luettgerodt had six of Hawai'i's 12 steals, and also passed for a team-high five assists.

"I think Riley had a great second half," Nash said. "Took it on himself, he got in the lane, made some key baskets, got big rebounds."

Luettgerodt's most improbable basket of the game brought the 'Bows all the way back. His jumper from 12 feet away bounced high off the rim, hit the top of the backboard, then came down through the net. It tied the score at 63 with 1:42 remaining.

"Honestly, I was waiting for the whistle to blow that they didn't count it," he said. "That was just pure luck ... I was like, geez, we have to win now."

Utah State went up by one on a free throw by Stephen DuCharme, but the 'Bows took the lead for good on Dillinger's layup.

His go-ahead basket came off an assist from Bobby Nash. Dillinger was also fouled on the play, and he made the ensuing free throw to put Hawai'i ahead, 66-64.

Bob Nash said: "It's just one of those things where these guys aren't selfish. They see the open man, and they got the ball to a guy when he was open."

The 'Bows went 5 for 6 on free throws in the final 41 seconds to secure the victory. Amis, who played all 40 minutes for the first time this season, had a key rebound and blocked shot in the final minute.

"Just a great overall team effort," Nash said. "The intensity level on defense in that final 10 minutes was as good as its been all year."

Luettgerodt and Bobby Nash also played the entire 40 minutes.

"I thought we had a good rhythm and the guys didn't seem to be tired," Bob Nash said of his decision not to substitute in the second half. "They seemed to be working well together. I didn't want to break that up."

Prior to the furious finish, the Aggies controlled most of the game.

Utah State sharpshooter Jaycee Carroll proved his worth as the leading candidate for WAC Player of the Year with 27 points and eight rebounds. He shot 9 of 17 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

But he scored just four points in the final 15 minutes of the second half.

"I think as a team we guarded him very well," said Dillinger, who was primarily responsible for defending Carroll. "It wasn't just me, it was everyone because we were switching."

Indeed, all five 'Bows had to defend Carroll at one time or another during the second half.

Carroll scored 17 in the first half, including 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range, as the Aggies took a 36-27 lead at intermission.

Utah State shot 61 percent from the field in the first half, but 45.8 percent in the second half to finish at 53.3 percent for the game.

"Our guys made up their mind that they wanted to play good solid team defense, and we did an excellent job of switching out on their shooters as they came off screens," Bob Nash said.

The 'Bows cut the Utah State lead to 38-35 early in the second half, but two 3-pointers by Carroll helped boost the Aggies' lead to 47-37 with 15:38 remaining.

A hook shot by Gary Wilkinson gave Utah State a 57-43 lead, setting the stage for Hawai'i's dramatic finish.

Wilkinson, who was recruited by both Hawai'i and Utah State out of junior college, finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Hawai'i is scheduled to depart Honolulu early this morning for Fresno, Calif. The 'Bows will play at Fresno State on Wednesday, followed by a nonconference game at UC Riverside on Saturday.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.