Julian Sensley and the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team came back big last night.

After the worst performance of his collegiate career on Tuesday, Sensley responded with one of his best to lead the Rainbow Warriors to an 82-64 victory over Saint Louis.

Sensley had game-highs of 22 points, eight rebounds and three steals just four nights after going scoreless in a road loss at UNLV.

"I don't think I personally had anything to do with (the win)," said Sensley, a 6-foot-9 senior forward. "I just came ready to play along with everybody else."

A crowd of 6,213 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows improve to 2-1, with the two home victories coming by a total of 40 points. The Billikens dropped to 1-1 this season, and 0-4 all-time against Hawai'i.

"Tonight, big won over quickness," Hawai'i head coach Riley Wallace said. "At Vegas, quickness won over big."

The Billikens started four guards 6 feet 5 and shorter alongside 6-10 center Ian Vouyoukas. The 'Bows countered with four starters 6-6 and taller.

As a result, Hawai'i won the rebounding battle, 37-28. "Size is always important in basketball," Sensley said.

Hawai'i also ran an efficient offense, shooting 51.6 percent from the field.

Three teammates joined Sensley with double-figure points: Matt Lojeski with 17, Bobby Nash with 13 and Ahmet Gueye with 10.

Gueye also had five blocked shots, and senior point guard Deonte Tatum had a career-high eight assists.

Lojeski shot 5 of 6 from 3-point range, and the 'Bows were 11 of 22 overall from long range.

"Lojeski is just fun to watch," Wallace said. "He does a lot of right things."

The 'Bows took control of the game midway through the first half and then slowly pulled away from the shorter Billikens.

"Hawai'i needs to get a lot of credit tonight," Saint Louis head coach Brad Soderberg said. "That's a great basketball team. They've got so many weapons."

The Billikens jumped to a 17-12 advantage early, but Hawai'i responded with a 10-0 run to take a 22-17 lead with 9:56 remaining in the first half. Nash came off the bench to spark the surge with five points and an assist.

Hawai'i closed the half with a 12-4 run, taking a 43-33 lead at intermission. Sensley sent the 'Bows into the locker room on a high note with a dunk off a Nash miss just before the horn sounded.

"Sensley is a pro in my opinion," Soderberg said. "He's a great basketball player."

Lojeski scored 14 in the first half on perfect shooting. He was 5 for 5 from the field, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range.

Sensley, who was held scoreless on 0-for-11 shooting at UNLV on Tuesday, added 12 points in the first half. After missing his first four shots of last night's game, he made 5 of 6, including two dunks.

"I kind of smiled after I hit the shot," he said of his first basket of the game. "I was like, 'it's about time.' I kind of took off from there, actually."

Saint Louis never got closer than nine in the second half. The 'Bows increased the lead to as many as 24 before Wallace put in his reserves.

Sensley added two more ferocious dunks in the second half, including one that momentarily brought down the basket support stand.

"I didn't even know what happened," he said. "Everyone stopped and I was looking around. You don't see that every day."

Vouyoukas led the Billikens with 18 points and six rebounds. He was the only Saint Louis player to reach double-figure points.

"We did not defend at all," Soderberg said. "They had more easy shots than I can recall giving up in all of our conference play last year."

Saint Louis finished last season No. 16 in NCAA Division I in scoring defense, and only two teams reached 80 points on the Billikens last season.

"Our energy level was there," Wallace said. "And we were able to do what we wanted to do."

The 'Bows, who opened the season with three games in eight days, will not play again until Dec. 6, when they will try to avenge Tuesday's loss as UNLV comes to the Stan Sheriff Center.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.