Warriors get their revenge at Cal Poly
Mike Thomas scored a career-high 18 points to lead the University of Hawai’i basketball team to a thrilling 59-56 road victory over Cal Poly on Thursday night at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
After Roderick Bobbitt made one of two free throws to give Hawai’i a 59-56 lead with 15 seconds remaining, Cal Poly did not call a timeout and worked the ball upcourt. Ridge Shipley then missed an off-balance 3-point attempt just before the final horn sounded.
The Warriors improved to 16-8 overall and remained in fourth place in the Big West Conference at 4-4. They also avenged a loss to Cal Poly last month in Honolulu by winning in San Luis Obispo for the first time. The Mustangs dropped to 10-11 and 3-6.
Thomas shot 6 for 7 from the field and 6 for 10 on free throws, and also grabbed four rebounds. He was the only Warrior to score in double-figures.
Aaron Valdes, Isaac Fleming and Stefan Jovanovic each scored eight. Garrett Nevels hit two crucial 3-pointers in the second half to finish with six points, and Bobbitt finished with five points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Warriors opened the game with a 7-0 lead – including 5-of-6 shooting from the free throw line – but the Mustangs quickly got back in it.
Cal Poly went on a 13-5 surge midway through the first half to catch the Warriors and take a 20-16 lead with 6:53 remaining. The Mustangs rallied by hitting seven 3-pointers over a nine-minute stretch in the first half.
Cal Poly led by as many as six points late in the first half, and eventually took a 28-26 lead at intermission.
The Mustangs went 7 for 14 from 3-point range in the first half alone, while the Warriors went 0 for 6 from long range.
Cal Poly finished with 11 3-pointers, but shot just 28.7 percent from the field (15 for 53) overall. Hawai’i shot 49 percent from the field (24 for 49).
Hawai’i scored the first two baskets of the second half to take a momentary 30-28 lead, but the Mustangs took the lead right back on a 3-pointer by Shipley.
The game went back and forth after that, with the lead changing five times. Hawai’i took the lead for good at 48-47 on a short jump shot by Jovanovic with just under seven minutes remaining.
Hawai’i had a 56-53 lead when Cal Poly had a chance to tie after Michael Bolden was fouled on a 3-point attempt, but he made just two of the three free throws. Roderick Bobbitt scored on a driving layup on the next possession to give the Warriors a 58-55 advantage with 1:10 remaining.
The Warriors will complete their four-game road trip with a Big West contest at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday (5 p.m. Hawai’i time). The Gauchos (10-11 overall, 3-4 Big West) did not play on Thursday.
(WarriorInsider.com file photo courtesy Brandon Flores)
Pono..jjay..pupule..all uh mbb fans…
great win !!
Go Bows !!
🙂
Benjy ,staff and team…right on
see …poly unreal 3 pt shooting.,uh mbb shoot well enough and win !!
🙂
UH turn them over 15x ?
Defense and shooting
team can still get better
what happen to janks?
Any update on the Jankovic situation? Hopefully he plays the next game and doesn’t get thrown off the team (hyperbole, yes). But losing your best offensive player by a country mile would not bode well for the rest of the season.
Resilient. These guys just keep coming back. ‘Way to go guys.
Go Warriors!
Finally beat CP!!! Right on! Again, Pono Jjay and I are about team and not about anyone else. Hard to believe, right? Voices of reason, if you will.
Hope janks okay..we will know ..no indication from BM.. will find out..
MT played really well..
Awesome baby ! Make it one more Warriors!
What happened with Janks. I didn’t watch the streaming
Don’t think anything happened with Jankovich, other than Jovanovich and Thomas were both playing well and coach chose to go with a stronger defensive lineup down the stretch. Hopefully, there’s no “situation.”
Benjy pulled him early in half..think he scored a basket..maybe defense? Injury?
Mike Thomas played well both ends.
poly live by 3..and short on 3’s last couple minutes
Someone said Janks got scolding from the coach ?
UH in 4th place by itself, looks like.
Hey…have to mature…man up..
jovanovich and thomas earned start ..combined for 26 key points
jovanovich huge baskets and rebounds end of game
Janks and NWC…Just keep working..need everbody come March
TEAM WIN..
Benj..staff and all guys..fleming good game running , just a flash to rim..incredible speed and finish left hand to rim
key, spelled bobbitt when rod in foul trouble
janks..nwc..valdes..nevels..smith evident…all team care about? Wins !!
Huge game would be epic win against ucsb on espnu this saturday..
either way..split..at least..3-1…Awesome!!
🙂
Stats said 40 points in the paint for UH vs. 8 for Cal Poly. That’s working the ball inside for higher percentage shots.
…seen Brad Autry…the great assistant resume, experience helping benjy..lot of talking and guiding from sidelines..great help to benjy..
good staff.. Senque, Autry and Loyd..
keep team working hard..just when think game might slip..away..team got stops
can an ncaa ..,mbb team..or any level only score from field on 3 pointers?
Would be historic..seemed like they could not miss
live by the 3..and…lose by the 3..uh mbb really kept bennett in check ..guarded paint well
and scored in paint
good job all the way around..team can still get better..however
they learning and winning games..
hey 16 wins overall and counting !!
🙂
A huge turn…last few minutes uh mbb down…G Money hits two huge threes..absolute money
Runbows…
Yes, you’re right… 3-1 on the road is a very GOOD possibility. I had expected the Long Beach game to be the toughest of the 4… especially with Big Alan Williams still hurting a little big.
I’m not sure why Janks was absent in the 2nd half… perhaps a little injured, perhaps those bone-headed plays… perhaps attitude. But you have to admit… Stef Jovanovic and Mike Thomas may not be as offensively skilled as Janks, but they put in better effort, they play tough defense, and the are not whiners…
On another note, if Hawaii comes home 3-1, Hawaii will then be 17-8, with two EASY home games against Riverside and Fullerton… which points to 19-8 heading into the NEXT road trip against Irvine and Davis (Feb. 19 and Feb. 21). One win against one of those teams will give Hawaii 20 wins. I hope I didn’t get too AHEAD of myself… LOL
Wahine basketball team in a three way tie for 1st place, 6-2.
Nice job Benjy…way to step up MT! Nice to see our shooting % go up with all the inside shots…good strategy.
Staying on the road looks it is paying off. Bring on UCSB and Williams…Bowz need to screen that Man out!!!
First half of the BWC season over…due to our win over Davis, who is holding tight in first, means any ties in the final standings will favor UH for seeding.
GO BOWZ…hana hou.
Cannot believe that Bobbitt let the ball get stolen from him in the last 30 seconds. The guys have to work on their composure down the stretch. Really pisses me off.
Taylor has to be pleased that his team was able to grind out a win on the road. Not pretty, but hard-nosed defense rarely is. Give the players a lot of credit b/c I didn’t think they could do it against a team that was knocking down 3s and was in the bonus/double bonus much of the second half. Next …