Warrior Insider

There has been no mention of a showdown, or revenge, or anything like that, within the meeting walls of the Hawai’i basketball team. There hasn’t been a need for it.

“I don’t think you have to tell them it’s a big game,” Hawai’i head coach Gib Arnold said of Thursday’s clash with first-place Long Beach State. “They know. They understand where we are in the standings. They understand Long Beach State has won eight in a row, including one over us.”

The Warriors will host the 49ers on Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. Hawai’i is 13-9 overall and in third place in the Big West Conference at 7-4. Long Beach State is 13-8 overall and alone in first at 9-1. The Warriors have won their last three games – all on the road; the 49ers are on an eight-game winning streak, including a 76-72 win over Hawai’i on January 12 at Long Beach, Calif.

A Hawai’i victory brings the 49ers closer to the rest of the pack, and keeps the Warriors’ hopes for a regular-season title alive.

Bottom line, it’s a big game.

“In the back of our minds we know it’s a big game,” senior Hauns Brereton said. “But every day we have to come into practice and do what we need to do.”

Foremost, the Warriors will need to continue to take care of the basketball. During its three-game winning streak, Hawai’i is averaging 11.3 turnovers per game. Prior to that, the Warriors were averaging 16 turnovers per game, including 17 in the loss at Long Beach State.

“I still feel that we need to make sure we keep our turnovers down and cause more turnovers – I think that’s been a key to us winning on the road,” Arnold said. “If we can do that, we have an excellent chance.”

The Warriors actually had an excellent chance to upset the 49ers in Long Beach. Hawai’i had possession of the ball in the final minute with the score tied at 72, but the 49ers would go on to hit the go-ahead basket – after a Warrior turnover – with less than two seconds remaining.

“It’s finally here,” Brereton said. “We’ve been waiting for this since that last shot they made. We know it’s very grab-able, and it’s up to us and what we bring.”

Despite its 9-1 conference record and eight-game winning streak, the 49ers have not exactly been blowing out the competition. Four of the 49ers’ Big West wins have been by four points or fewer, including two two-point victories at home last week (57-55 over UC Irvine and 50-48 over Cal Poly).

Long Beach State’s only Big West loss this season came on January 3 at Cal Poly (79-73).

GAME INFORMATION: Hawai’i (13-9, 7-4 Big West) vs. Long Beach State (13-8, 9-1 Big West)
When: Thursday, Feb. 7, 7:00 p.m. (Hawai’i time)
Where: Stan Sheriff Center (10,300) – Honolulu, HI
Television: Live statewide on OCSports – Channels 16 (SD) and 1016 (HD).
Streaming Video: Live video streaming is available on ocsports.tv.
Radio: ESPN 1420 AM will carry the game live. Neighbor islands can listen live on KNUI on Maui, KHLO in Hilo, KKON in Kona, and KTOH on Kaua’i.
Audio Webcast: Live audio streaming on espn1420am.com
Live Stats: Live in-game stats are available at HawaiiAthletics.com
Ticket Information: $26 (lower); $18 (upper-adult); $16 (upper-sr. citizen); $5 (upper-youth, ages 4-HS); UH Manoa students free with validated ID. Parking $6.
Promotions: First Hawaiian Bank is the sponsor on Thursday and will award great prizes throughout the game. The student theme is “60s Hippie Night” and free wigs will be distributed to the first 200 students.