The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team is feeling super right now.

The Rainbow Warriors continued their surprising climb up the standings of the Western Athletic Conference with a 71-57 victory over Louisiana Tech last night.

A crowd of 4,376 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched the 'Bows improve to 10-11 overall and 6-3 in the WAC. Hawai'i is now in a tie for third place in the conference, just one game behind co-leaders Utah State and Boise State.

Louisiana Tech dropped to 3-16 and 0-7 with its seventh consecutive loss.

Hawai'i entered WAC play having lost four of five games in December. Now, the 'Bows are going the other way, as their three-game winning streak is the longest of this season.

"Just a great team effort all the way around," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "That's the thing we're trying to build here at the University of Hawai'i, is that we play as an 'ohana."

In what is becoming their family tradition, the 'Bows relied on a balanced and efficient offense last night.

Bobby Nash led four Hawai'i players in double-figure points with 16 on 6-of-10 shooting.

Matt Gibson added 14 points and seven assists. Riley Luettgerodt contributed 11 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Jared Dillinger scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

"First half, our defense struggled a little bit, but our offense picked us up," Gibson said. "In the second half, we picked up the defense and obviously pulled away."

The 'Bows shot 52.8 percent from the field — their second-best shooting night of the season. They also passed for 18 assists, committed just nine turnovers, and out-rebounded the smaller Bulldogs, 31-19.

"We just came down, did what we needed to do, grinded it out and got the win," Bobby Nash said.

It was the second time in three nights that the 'Bows put together an impressive offense. They scored a season-high 94 points in a victory over New Mexico State on Thursday.

"We found a good rhythm in the New Mexico State game and it carried over to today," Gibson said.

Gibson has been especially effective. During the three-game winning streak, he is averaging 16.7 points and 7.3 assists per game.

After the victory over New Mexico State, the 'Bows had just one day to prepare for LaTech. But Bob Nash said it made a difference to practice in the Sheriff Center all week.

"We work every single day on our offensive sets, and when we get an opportunity to shoot in our building ... it makes a huge difference," he said. "There's just a confidence level of shooting in this arena."

Still, the 'Bows were not able to shake the pesky Bulldogs until midway through the second half. The game was close for most of the first half, and the lead changed six times.

The 'Bows gained control with a 12-4 run in the final 4:48 of the half to take a 41-32 lead at intermission.

Gibson scored five points during the surge, and assisted on another basket. He had 11 points and five assists in the first half.

The Bulldogs entered the game ranked last in the WAC in field-goal percentage at .388, but they stayed close to the 'Bows in the first half by shooting 11 of 19 (.579) from the field.

"We went into the half, we were lacking some defensive principles and heart at that point," Bobby Nash said. "We went into the locker room, got chewed out, said we needed to pick it up, and we did."

The 'Bows limited the Bulldogs to 25 points in the second half. LaTech shot 44.4 percent from the field in the second half, and finished 50 percent for the game.

Bob Nash said the only defensive adjustment in the second half was, "we started guarding people rather than letting people just drive around us."

Hawai'i increased its lead to 45-33 moments into the second half, but the Bulldogs used a 10-2 run to get as close as 48-45 with 11:05 remaining.

Nash then drained two 3-pointers and Gibson made another during a 13-4 run that put the 'Bows back in control for good at 61-49 with 6:16 left.

"I was real pleased with the leadership from Bobby and Matt, stepping up to get us going," Bob Nash said.

LaTech did not get closer than eight in the game's final six minutes.

"I thought our guys played with great energy and gave good effort," LaTech head coach Kerry Rupp said. "Problem is, playing hard isn't enough. You have to play smart ... but I liked the way we kept attacking and kept trying to fight and get back in there."

Hawai'i played without starting center P.J. Owsley, who sat out because of an injured right knee.

In Owsley's place, sophomores Bill Amis and Paul Campbell combined for 13 points and nine rebounds. Amis started for Owsley and contributed eight points and five rebounds.

The 'Bows had just nine players available for last night's game, but so did the Bulldogs. What's more, LaTech did not have any players taller than 6 feet 7.

"When you have long, athletic guards up there pressuring the ball, causing turnovers and making it hard for them to get into their offense, that plays a big part," Bobby Nash said.

Rupp said of the 'Bows: "That's a very, very good team, an experienced team. When it got to the clutch, they did a great job of grinding us out."

Kyle Gibson led the Bulldogs with 16 points, most coming on drives to the basket. Adrian Rogers and JC Clark added 11 each.

Hawai'i's next game is scheduled for Saturday on the road at Nevada. The 'Bows will depart for Reno, Nev., on Thursday.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.