The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team was at its Sunday best in a 96-78 victory over Lamar yesterday.

The Rainbow Warriors established season-highs for points, 3-pointers, field-goal percentage and assists, and got a rare 20-20 performance from Petras Balocka.

A Sunday late-afternoon crowd of 2,597 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows snap a four-game losing streak to improve to 3-4.

Lamar is 3-6, losing all six of its road games.

"We really needed this one for the confidence of our team," Hawai'i senior Roderick Flemings said.

Flemings led the 'Bows in scoring with 22 points, but it was Balocka's 20 points and 20 rebounds that took the spotlight.

"Things was going my way," the 6-foot-8, 265-pound senior forward said. "Just had a good night and my teammates were looking for me all the time. What can I say? It was one of my better games."

It was actually one of the better games in Hawai'i basketball history.

The last UH player to accomplish a 20-20 was Bob Nash, who had 28 points and 30 rebounds in the championship game of the 1971 Rainbow Classic.

Nash, of course, is now the head coach of the 'Bows.

"He's a good rebounder, but Bob Nash is a better rebounder," Nash said jokingly of Balocka's performance.

Then, in seriousness, Nash said: "I applaud him for that because that's just hard work."

Balocka entered the game averaging 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He said he did not know how many rebounds he had until he came out of the game with 3:53 remaining.

"I realized when I sat down on the bench, but it doesn't matter," he said. "I just go after every ball."

Lamar head coach Steve Roccaforte said: "He had a great game ... he had a career night, give him credit."

Nash said the key statistics were Hawai'i's 23 assists and .550 field-goal percentage on 33-of-60 shooting.

"We could have played better on defense," Nash said. "But the thing I was most pleased with was the way the guys shared the basketball. They weren't selfish and they looked for each other."

It led to 96 points, which was the most scored by a Hawai'i team since December 2003.

"I don't believe they shot the ball that well all year long," Roccaforte said of the 'Bows. "They probably want to play us a few more times."

All 13 'Bows in uniform contributed points, including the first career points by walk-ons Beau Albrechtson and Rykin Enos.

Brandon Adams scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Hiram Thompson finished with eight points and a career-high nine assists.

The game also featured the return of Dwain Williams and the debut of Douglas Kurtz.

Williams, a 6-foot junior, sat out the last two games because he was suspended by Nash for violating team rules. He contributed a 3-pointer in 14 minutes off the bench.

Kurtz, a 7-foot junior center, made his NCAA Division I debut. He sat out the first six games of this season as an NCAA penalty for eligibility issues.

When Kurtz entered the game early in the second half, the crowd gave him a rousing ovation. He responded with three points and four rebounds before fouling out late in the game.

The game was close only for the first 10 minutes.

It was tied at 19 midway through the first half, then the 'Bows went on an 11-2 run to take a 30-21 lead. Hawai'i eventually took a 40-31 lead at intermission, with Flemings scoring 13 in the first half.

"Rod was consistent, played both inside and out, became a tough cover for a lot of their players," Nash said.

The 'Bows turned it into a rout in the second half after a 16-0 run pushed the lead to 64-37 with 13:01 remaining. The Cardinals never got closer than 17 the rest of the way, and the final three minutes turned into a showcase for the Hawai'i reserves.

Kendrick Harris led Lamar with 21 points and five assists, and Justin Nabors added 19 points and eight rebounds.

It was the first of a nine-game homestand for the 'Bows. Hawai'i will next host Chaminade on Wednesday.