Jace Tavita had 17 points and five assists and Vander Joaquim had 16 points and nine rebounds as the University of Hawaii men's basketball team beat UC Santa Barbara 70-66 in a Big West Conference game Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
UC Santa Barbara went on a 20-5 run to take a 51-43 lead with 8:42 left.
Hawaii took the lead for good at 58-57 on Isaac Fotu's free throw with 2:32 remaining. Joaquim went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line over the final eight seconds.
Tavita finished 5-of-6 from 3-point range for the Rainbow Warriors (17-11, 10-6), while Fotu added 12 points.
Kyle Boswell scored 27 for the Gauchos (8-19, 4-11).
The 'Bows will play Cal Poly on Saturday in their final home game of the season.
