The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team might have broken out of its second-half slumps, but a first-half slump cost the Rainbow Warriors last night at Irvine, Calif.

Hawai'i could not overcome an early 20-point deficit in an 80-70 loss to UC Irvine.

A crowd of 1,248 at the Bren Events Center watched the Anteaters convert 31 of 34 free throws and hold off a second-half rally by the 'Bows.

"We just weren't in synch those first few minutes, and they took advantage and hit some shots," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "We fought hard in the second half, which was good, but it was just too big of a hole to dig out of."

Hawai'i, which was playing its first road game of the season, dropped to 2-4 with its fourth consecutive loss. UCI, which also beat the 'Bows in Honolulu last season, improved to 4-3.

Roderick Flemings scored a season-high 25 points, including four 3-pointers, to lead the 'Bows.

"Rod stepped up and played with authority," Nash said.

Point guard Hiram Thompson added 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Reserve forward Brandon Adams came off the bench to score a career-high 15 on 7-of-10 shooting.

Reserve guard Jeremy Lay, who was the team's leading scorer entering the game with 14.8 points per game, was held to two points, and shot 0 of 6 from the field.

In their previous three losses, the 'Bows surrendered large second-half runs to their opponents. Last night, Hawai'i outscored UCI 48-43 in the second half.

However, the Anteaters jumped to a 9-0 lead to open the game and stayed in front from start to finish. The 'Bows trailed 27-7 just nine minutes into the game, and UCI took a 37-22 lead at intermission.

Flemings and Adams sparked the second-half rally, and the 'Bows managed to get as close as 55-52 with 7:26 remaining on a 3-pointer by Flemings.

"We never panicked, we just kept running our offense," Nash said. "If we ran our offense in the first half the way we did in the second half, it might have been a different story."

But the Anteaters never allowed Hawai'i to get any closer, and sealed the win by going 16 of 19 from the free-throw line in the final 3:37.

The 'Bows shot just 26.9 percent from the field in the first half, but improved to 54.8 percent in the second half. They finished at 42.1 percent, while the Anteaters shot 59.0 percent.

"We lost the game, and I'm never satisfied with a loss," Nash said. "But I thought tonight we had guys step up and show that they wanted to win, even when we got down big. We never gave up, and so we'll take that attitude into our next game and hopefully turn this thing around."

Hawai'i will host Lamar on Sunday in its next game.

The 'Bows played without three significant players: Bill Amis (injured foot), Douglas Kurtz (NCAA suspension) and Dwain Williams (team suspension).

Kurtz and Williams will be eligible to play against Lamar, although Williams' situation will still be reviewed, according to Nash.

"We asked him to take care of some things while we were on the trip, so if he did, then he'll be back in the fold," Nash said.

Amis has yet to play this season, and if he is not healthy by the end of this month, he will redshirt, according to Nash.