A late rally by the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team came up short in a 76-70 loss to UC Irvine tonight.

The Rainbow Warriors cut a 20-point deficit in the second half down to two, but the Anteaters went 9 for 9 from the free-throw line in the final minute to secure the non-conference win.

A crowd of 4,169 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows fall to 13-13. UCI improved to 10-17.

Kareem Nitoto led the 'Bows with 18 points, including 16 in the second half.

Bill Amis added 14 points and 11 rebounds, Roderick Flemings scored 12, and Adhar Mayen also had 12 for Hawai'i.

The 'Bows had a 5-3 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but the Anteaters then drained six consecutive 3-pointers on their next six possessions to take a 21-10 lead with 12:36 remaining in the first half.

UCI increased the lead to as many as 16 in the first half, and took a 38-24 lead at intermission.

The Anteaters went 8 of 13 from 3-point range in the first half for a .615 percentage. Hawai'i went 10 of 29 from the field in the first half (.345), including 0 of 3 from 3-point range.

UCI pushed the lead to 48-28 with 12:57 remaining in the second half before the 'Bows rallied.

Mayen hit two 3-pointers to ignite a 16-4 Hawai'i run that cut the UCI lead to 52-44 with 8:23 remaining. It was the first 3-pointers made by any Hawai'i player in the last three games.

An 8-0 run by the 'Bows cut the UCI lead to 54-52 with 5:13 left, but that was as close as it got.

The Anteaters only made one more 3-pointer in the second half, and finished with a .471 field goal percentage, including .500 from 3-point range (9 of 18).

Chad DeCasas led UCI with 19 points.

Hawai'i finished with a .429 field-goal percentage, including .308 (4 of 13) from 3-point range.

The 'Bows played without key reserve center Petras Balocka, who was not in uniform because of a groin injury.

The 'Bows are scheduled to depart Honolulu again on Tuesday for a two-game WAC road trip. They will play at Utah State on Thursday, then at San Jose State on Saturday.

Hawai'i's final home game of the season is scheduled for March 7 against New Mexico State.