In a surprise as big as Texas, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team continued its early road rage through the Western Athletic Conference with a 66-65 victory over Southern Methodist last night.

Before a raucous crowd of 2,743 at Moody Coliseum, the 'Bows controlled most of the game, then held off a furious SMU rally at the end. As a result, Hawai'i improved to 11-3 overall and 3-1 in the WAC, good enough for sole possession of third place.

The surprising part wasn't so much the 'Bows beating the Mustangs, as it was UH improving to 2-0 on the WAC road this season. Last year, Hawai'i finished 1-8 on the WAC road. UH plays its third game in a row on the road tomorrow at Louisiana Tech.

"It's a win on the road, and that's what matters," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "We haven't won a lot of games back-to-back through the years on the road, so we'll take it."

Sophomore forward Julian Sensley added: "All I hear about is how Hawai'i can't ever win on the road, and here we are with two wins in two games. Anyway you look at it, it's big."

It also came as a relief in more ways than one.

JEFF BLACKETT

"We should have taken better care of the ball," Wallace said. "We were playing scared, I think, down the stretch. Playing to keep from losing rather than playing to win."

The 'Bows also relied on their own relief — reserve players Jeff Blackett, Jason Carter and Paul Jesinskis, in particular. Hawai'i's bench players outscored SMU's 20-0.

"We needed guys on the bench to give us something," SMU head coach Mike Dement said. "Our starters play so many minutes, but they can't do everything. That was certainly a big difference."

In what has become their custom this season, several 'Bows shared the spotlight.

• Michael Kuebler was not at his sharpshooting best, but showed why he is the WAC's leading scorer. He found ways to score points from all angles, and finished with 18 points, six rebounds and three assists.

His final basket of the game came on a difficult double-pump bank shot in between three SMU defenders from about five feet away from the rim. It amounted to the game-clinching shot, as it gave UH a 66-63 lead with 1:06 remaining.

"I wasn't going to shoot it," he said. "But I pump-faked and then I saw one of the (SMU) guys jump, so I went up looking to get fouled. I wasn't intending to force it, but it worked out."

• For the second consecutive game, Blackett was a force off the bench. He finished with 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the first double-double of his UH career.

• Sensley played his usual all-around game, finishing with 13 points, six rebounds and a team-high five assists while playing all 40 minutes.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence right now," Sensley said. "The main thing is everybody's having fun. We all know are roles and we're sticking to it."

It showed from the start as the 'Bows used a 9-0 run to take a 20-11 lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game.

Blackett was especially effective in the first half. After senior Phil Martin committed his second foul two minutes into the game, Blackett played the rest of the half. He had 11 points and eight rebounds before halftime.

Kuebler's 3-pointer just before the first half horn sounded gave UH a 44-34 lead at intermission.

The 'Bows slowed the pace in the second half, and appeared to be in complete control when Kuebler's 3-pointer increased the lead to 64-50 with 6:43 remaining.

But the Mustangs responded with a 13-0 run that made it 64-63. Kuebler's double-pump shot made it 66-63, then SMU's Patrick Simpson made two free throws with 16.6 seconds for the final score.

The 'Bows escaped with the win when the Mustangs could not commit a foul to stop the clock in the waning seconds. After the 'Bows played a game of keep-away, Sensley was finally fouled with 1.9 seconds remaining.

Sensley missed the free throw, then Hopkins' heave from about 70 feet away was way off.

The 'Bows conclude their three-game trip tomorrow against Louisiana Tech at Ruston, La.

"We're going for the sweep," Kuebler said.