Posted on: Friday, March 4, 2005

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

With 3 minutes, 43 seconds left in the game last night and the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team down by just six points, 43-37, against Nevada, a curious phenomenon began to develop at the Stan Sheriff Center last night:

Fans began streaming toward the exits.

Not one or two, mind you, but in telltale bunches.

Never mind that the Rainbow Warriors would twice close the gap to two points, 47-45 and 49-47. Or, that in this same building not 3› months ago the 'Bows had come back from 22 points against Coastal Carolina to pull out a rousing victory.

This is what it has come to for these 'Bows. Not only did the eventual 55-47 loss to the No. 25-ranked Wolf Pack underline the repeated inability to close out a game — it was seconded by too many of the 4,712 in attendance.

Once again the writing was on the wall for the 'Bows last night and few on hand had trouble reading it in advance of an all-too-familiar ending.

Just change the name of the opponent and fill in the score because it was more of the same in this cursed second half of a 14-12 (6-11 Western Athletic Conference ) season.

UH's fifth consecutive loss and seventh setback in the last eight games was a lot like the early ones in that, for all the 'Bows' determination to make a game of it, they couldn't seal the deal in the end.

Try as they might — and the 'Bows' defensive grit kept them in a game that their 19-percent first-half shooting threatened to make them disappear from — the Rainbow Warriors remain long on question marks and short on answers with one regular season game to play before the conference tournament.

They couldn't hit the big shots or make the important defensive stops. They were unable to come up with the timely rebounds or convert turnovers.

Once again, a visiting team's victory emphasized one of the elements UH has been missing. Last time at home, it was Texas-El Paso with its all-conference quality point guard. This time it was the Wolf Pack and its difference-maker, forward Nick Fazekas. With his game-high 20 points — 12 in the second half — Fazekas took Nevada on his back in a manner and at a time UH couldn't match.

UH defended Fazekas about as well as possible for 30 minutes but after the score was tied at 32, he somehow, someway found a way in the paint and at the free-throw line to score 11 of Nevada's final 23 points, nearly matching UH's 15 down the same stretch.

"Another close one and they lose and it is in their minds," UH head coach Riley Wallace said. "It is really hard because winning is the only thing that will take it out."

The team? Or, the fans?

Last night, Wallace could have been talking about either.

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