By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

Let's see, until last night, the last time the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team occupied a share of first place in the Western Athletic Conference at this point in a season was two seasons ago.

A coincidence?

Probably not.

That was also about the last time the Rainbow Warriors had a real, honest-to-goodness, bench like the one they hit Texas-El Paso over the head with last night in an 85-63 mugging at the Stan Sheriff Center.

Not since Mike McIntyre and Mindaugus Burneika regularly led the charge off the bench in 2001-'02 have the Rainbows been able to summon the cavalry like this.

Win No. 5 against one loss in the WAC and victory No. 5 in a row overall was very much a by-the-numbers triumph for UH, which now shares the conference lead with Rice.

The salient numbers in this saga being 13 for the number of players (everybody available) who saw action, 9 for the number of reserves who had double-digit minutes and 40 for the numbers of points contributed by non-starters.

In a game in which UH led by as many as 28 points, the reserves figured to see some action. But it was when they got into it, early, and what they did with the minutes, plenty, that was the story as UH matched the second-longest WAC winning streak in school history.

For this night — again — belonged to the understudies who are becoming standouts in their own right.

When Phil Martin got into early trouble with two fouls just 2 minutes, 45 seconds into the game, Jeff Blackett came in and contributed 12 first-half points and six rebounds. He had 14 points for the game.

Until this year, what were the chances the Rainbows could endure a shutout by Martin and still be in a position to win by 22 points?

Likewise for point guard Jason Carter, who spelled Logan Lee with nine first-half points and two steals, and forward Vaidotas Peciukas, who added four points in the first half and six for the game.

At that point, the Miners were shot out of the game before they were ever really in it.

By the time UTEP lurched to the locker room at halftime, there was no missing the difference in this game — a UH bench that had scored just two points less than the Miners in a 47-29 Rainbow lead.

"I thought when we subbed and they came in we got better at that time, that was probably the difference in the game," said UH coach Riley Wallace. "Because the intensity stayed there. We didn't falter."

Said Carter: "It makes it tough for the other team when we can go nine and 10 guys deep, that many guys strong. But that's what we can do this year."

And because they have that capability, the Rainbows are back in first place, again.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.