But the Tulsa Talons, 14-3 and Central Division champions the past two seasons, scored the game's final 21 points, ending the season for Coach Cal Lee's Western Division champions at 11-7.

The 58-38 final score gave no indication of the fierce battle witnessed by a loud, half-full Tulsa Convention Center crowd.

"It was a hard loss," lineman Morrie Roe said. "We were hoping to bring home the championship."

Roe turned the tide Hawai'i's way on a bizarre play with 6:34 left in the game.

Islanders kicker Kimo Naehu, who was 5 of 5 on extra points and 1 of 3 on field goals, curled his third field-goal attempt, from 45 yards, wide left. It bounced off the net and back to the Tulsa goal line. The Tulsa players relaxed, acting as though the play was over, but in arena football any ball off the net or bar is a live ball.

Roe recovered the ball near the goal line, and stepping into the end zone surrounded by stunned Talons. The Islanders, who had trailed since early in the second quarter, grabbed the lead, 38-37, after Naehu's conversion kick.

"That was the weirdest touchdown I ever scored," Roe said.

The momentum was short-lived.

Tulsa's ensuing scoring drive consumed 3:28. Talons wide receiver Mitch Allner zipped 10 yards untouched to paydirt off a pass up the middle from Craig Strickland, putting Tulsa on top for good at 45-38.

The Islanders had the ball with plenty of time on their next possession. Starting at their 10, quarterback Darnell Arceneaux threw three consecutive incompletions.

On fourth down, Arceneaux tried to scramble inside his 10. While being tackled he tried a desperation pass and was called for intentional grounding, which gave Tulsa the ball with less than a minute on the clock.

Strickland scored on a 4-yard run to put Tulsa up 52-38 with 33 seconds left, and Ramon Richardson scored on a 30-yard fumble return with no time on the clock.

Strickland completed 17 of 33 passes for 196 yards and five touchdowns.

"We had the momentum," Lee said. "They came back and scored, but we had the ball lots of times down by just seven but we couldn't execute.

"Things just got out of hand at the end."

The Islanders looked sharp at the start. Arceneaux found wide receiver Darrick Branch for a 19-yard touchdown on the third play of the game.

Tulsa's defense held the Islanders out of the end zone the remainder of the half, while the Talons scored three touchdowns.

Naehu's 34-yard field goal, pulled the Islanders to 13-10, 42 seconds before halftime, but 18 seconds later Strickland found Allner on a 6-yard touchdown strike, their second TD connection of the first half and Tulsa led, 20-10, at intermission.

Three more times in the second half the Islanders pulled within 3 — at 20-17 on Arceneaux's 4-yard run, at 27-24 on Branch's second TD catch, this one 42 yards from Arceneaux, and on Josh "Zeus" White's 1-yard plunge to make it 34-31 just into the fourth quarter.

Talons' kicker Tony Dodson's 42-yard field goal with 10:03 left put Tulsa up 37-31, leading up to Roe's bizarre score.

Arceneaux, playing in his final game before taking over as Saint Louis School head coach, passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for one score. He completed 16 of 35 pass attempts.

"This franchise is growing," he said. "It's been a great contribution from the owners, to the administration, to the coaches, to the players, to the fans. The whole state of Hawai'i is behind us."

Hawaiians 7 3 14 14 — 38

Tulsa 6 14 14 24 — 58

HAW — Branch 19 pass from D. Arceneaux (Naehu kick).

TUL — Fontaine 3 run (kick failed).

TUL — Allner 8 pass from Strickland (Dodson kick).

HAW — FG Naehu 34.

TUL — Allner 6 pass from Strickland (Dodson kick).

HAW — D. Arceneaux 4 run (Naehu kick).

TUL — Clark 42 pass from Strickland (Dodson kick).

HAW — Branch 42 pass from D. Arceneaux (Naehu kick).

TUL — King 15 pass from Strickland (Dodson kick).

HAW — White 1 run (Naehu kick).

TUL — FG Dodson 42.

HAW — Roe 0 recovery off net (Naehu kick).

TUL — Allner 10 pass from Strickland (Balous run).

TUL — Strickland 4 run (Dodson kick).

TUL — Richardson 30 fumble recovery.

RUSHING—Hawaiian Islanders: White 5-19, D. Arceneaux 4-14, A. Arceneaux 1-minus 6. Tulsa Talons: Strickland 1-4, Fontaine 1-3, Richardson 0-30.

PASSING—Hawaiian Islanders: D. Arceneaux 16-35-1-211, Tillis 1-7-0-13, team 0-0-0-minus 17. Tulsa Talons: Strickland 17-33-0-196.