A crowd of 4,810 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the Rainbow Warriors end a three-game losing streak to improve to 11-5 overall and 3-5 in the Western Athletic Conference.

"I closed my eyes and hoped and prayed that they called a foul," Nash said.

Nash's heroics capped the best game of his career. The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard finished with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Jeff Blackett also scored 20, and Julian Sensley had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Hawai'i.

"Obviously we've been in that situation before," Blackett said of Hawai'i's recent close losses in the final minute. "It seemed like it had all been going the other teams' way and we were bound to get one."

UH sophomore guard Bobby Nash's go-ahead four-point play came with Rice's Jason McKreith bearing down on him. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Rice went up, 72-69, with 28.6 seconds remaining on a free throw by Jason McKreith.

"It's over — we lost," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said he admitted thinking. "You had to have a little of that feeling when they went up three the way we've been playing."

But Nash caught a pass just in front of the Hawai'i bench and launched a high shot as McKreith went up to try and block it. Nash wound up on his butt in front of his teammates as the shot banked in. The 3-pointer tied the score at 72, and his free throw put Hawai'i ahead.

"Bobby's 3 was a lifesaver," Wallace said. "Because otherwise he would have to live with himself for the free throws."

Wallace was referring to Nash's two missed free throws that could have put Hawai'i ahead with 34.8 seconds remaining in regulation.

Rice's Michael Harris proved his worth as the leading candidate for WAC Player of the Year with 25 points and 12 rebounds. McKreith added 20 points for the Owls, who dropped to 10-6 overall and 5-3 in the conference.

After Nash's free throw, McKreith missed a 17-foot jump shot on Rice's final possession. Harris got the rebound and appeared to get fouled on the putback attempt, but no call was made.

"At UTEP, maybe they call that," Wallace said. "But they usually don't make that call with seconds to go."

After the game, Rice head coach Willis Wilson ended interviews with reporters early and slammed a locker room door.

"I'm going to have a real hard time making objective comments right now," he said.

When asked if he was upset about the officiating, Wilson responded: "That's an understatement."

The Owls were called for 19 fouls to Hawai'i's 15. The 'Bows were 17 of 21 on free throws, and the Owls were 13 of 17.

"I feel like I got fouled at the end, but you don't expect to get those calls on the road," Harris said. "But (Hawai'i) got that foul called on the 3-pointer so I don't know. It doesn't have to be 50-50, but at least give both teams the same respect."

Blackett drained two free throws for the final margin.

It capped a rally from an 11-point second-half deficit for Hawai'i.

The Owls made nine of their first 13 field-goal attempts to jump to a 22-10 lead in the first eight minutes of the game. Harris scored 10 points during the early surge.

"That was just lack of intensity," Wallace said.

Rice built the lead to 28-16 before the 'Bows started to chip away. Nash came off the bench to spark a 9-0 run that got Hawai'i within 28-25.

The Owls eventually took a 34-30 lead at intermission, with Harris registering 15 points and seven rebounds in the first half.

The Owls led by 11 early in the second half, but Hawai'i finally caught up with 7:41 remaining when Blackett's layup put the 'Bows ahead, 53-52. The game stayed close the rest of the way, with neither team leading by more than three.

McKreith scored on a difficult turnaround jump shot with 1:04 remaining to tie the score at 65 and send it to overtime.

"We should have lost the game," Wallace said. "But it was our turn to get one."