A broken leg couldn't break the spirit of the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team, but it certainly made the Rainbow Warriors vulnerable in a 79-69 loss to New Mexico last night.

A crowd of 3,176 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows lose their fourth consecutive home game to drop to 3-8. The Lobos improved to 12-2 with their second victory over Hawai'i this season.

The last time a Hawai'i team lost four consecutive games in the Sheriff Center was during the 1998-99 season.

"If you look at us all year long, we've had one problem or another where we're not always at full strength," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said.

Last night, the 'Bows played without starting senior center Stephen Verwers, who underwent surgery on a broken left leg on Christmas night.

Without the 6-foot-11, 255-pound Verwers in the middle, Hawai'i got out-scored 46-16 on points "in the paint," and got out-rebounded 33-26.

"He's a big body, he's a banger," senior Bobby Nash said of Verwers. "Definitely you're going to miss him. But we can't make any more excuses."

In what has become a familiar story during the holiday season, the 'Bows rallied from a double-digit deficit only to come up frustratingly short at the end.

"We hear it every day — we're playing better, we're playing good, we're playing hard," senior Matt Gibson said. "But it's all for nothing if we're not getting wins."

Gibson scored a season-high 19 points to lead the 'Bows. Bobby Nash broke out of a shooting slump, going 6 of 9 from 3-point range to finish with 18 points. He also grabbed six rebounds and had five assists.

If there's one player the 'Bows will be glad to not see again this season, it's New Mexico's Daniel Faris. The 6-9 junior forward scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting.

In New Mexico's 89-60 victory over Hawai'i last month at Albuquerque, N.M., Faris scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting. The two best games of his career have come against the 'Bows.

"Obviously, (Hawai'i) is down with bigs," New Mexico head coach Steve Alford said. "I thought we did a good job of driving the ball and finding Daniel and others inside."

The aggressive approach of the Lobos was also reflected in the free-throw category. New Mexico went 23 of 33 from the line, while Hawai'i was 14 of 18.

The Lobos entered last night's game averaging 8.8 3-pointers per game with a .441 percentage. Last night, they went a season-low 2 of 8 from 3-point range.

"That's a strength of ours, and to their credit, they took away our 3 ball," Alford said. "Yet we can still win by 10, so that tells me our guys can play different ways and still win."

Bob Nash said it was part of Hawai'i's plan to take away New Mexico's long-range shots, but it may have backfired when the Lobos instead drove to the basket.

"I give my team a lot of credit," Nash said. "We're undermanned. But these guys fought; they gave their best effort."

Hawai'i trailed by as many as 12 early in the second half, but cut it to three several times in the closing minutes.

A 3-pointer by Nash cut New Mexico's lead to 62-59 with 3:37 remaining.

But the Lobos responded with four points on their next possession — Monquel Pegues made one free throw, missed the second, and the rebound was grabbed by teammate J.R. Giddens.

Giddens then made the putback, got fouled and made a free throw to put the Lobos ahead, 66-59.

"Too many breakdowns at inopportune times," Bob Nash said. "Simple box out at the free-throw line."

Another Nash 3 made the score 70-67 with 1:37 remaining, but the 'Bows did not make another field goal the rest of the game.

"For a few minutes there, we played really good basketball," Bob Nash said. "But those little minutes of mental lapses will cost you every time."

Bobby Nash was 2 for 16 from 3-point range in the three games prior to yesterday. He credited his older sister, Erika, for helping him break out of the slump. They shot baskets together prior to last night's game.

"She's my lucky charm," Bobby said.

The 'Bows got off to a good start, perhaps inspired by the presence of Verwers.

A few minutes before tip-off, Verwers entered the arena — with the aid of crutches — and joined his teammates on the bench.

"It just shows his character," Gibson said. "He's an example that we all should follow."

Hawai'i opened the game with a 3-pointer by Nash, and jumped to an 11-4 lead. The Lobos went on a 13-3 run midway through the first half to take a 19-15 lead with 8:10 remaining, and kept the lead the rest of the game.

The Lobos closed the first half with a 15-6 run to take a 38-28 lead.

New Mexico finished with a .551 field-goal percentage. In the victory over Hawai'i last month, the Lobos had a .610 percentage.

Giddens finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Dairese Gary added 12 points and four assists for the Lobos.

Bobby Nash said there was some consolation in Hawai'i's improvement since the 29-point blowout loss to New Mexico on Nov. 21.

"In this game, we fought and fought and fought," he said. "The main theme of this season is going to be competing. We competed to the end ... we never gave up. That's the main thing."

Hawai'i will have to try again Sunday, when it hosts Centenary in another non-conference game at 5 p.m.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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