Warrior Insider

The last time the University of Hawai’i basketball team played Cal State Fullerton, senior forward Noah Allen was not even in the starting lineup.

That alone is enough to throw out the results of that January 5 game as an outlier, because so much has changed since then.

The rematch between the Warriors and Titans is set for this Saturday, February 25, at the Stan Sheriff Center. It is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., and will be televised in Hawai’i on OCSports (Oceanic channels 16 and 1016).

Hawai’i is 13-13 overall and tied for fifth place in the Big West Conference at 7-6; Fullerton is 14-12 overall and in third place at 8-5.

As the team’s lone senior on the active roster, Allen will be honored after the game for “Senior Night.” It is also a “Whiteout,” and fans are encouraged to wear white shirts.

Allen scored just two points off the bench in the Warriors’ 67-64 road loss at Fullerton on January 5. That was the conference opener for both teams.

Now, Allen has emerged as the Big West’s leading scorer, averaging 18.5 points per game against conference opponents, including four games of 30 points or more. Overall, he leads the Warriors in both scoring (15.2) and rebounding (5.8).

Junior forward Gibson Johnson is second in both scoring (11.2) and rebounding (4.7), and is shooting 50.7 percent from the field. Sophomore forward Jack Purchase is averaging 9.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and ranks third in the Big West with 62 3-pointers.

The youthful backcourt features a primary rotation of three players – sophomore Sheriff Drammeh (9.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists per game), sophomore Brocke Stepteau (6.8 points and 3.2 assists per game) and freshman Leland Green (6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds per game).

Like Hawai’i, Fullerton can also be described as a better team than it was seven weeks ago. The Titans are currently the hottest team in the Big West with a four-game winning streak that includes an upset of first-place UC Irvine on Wednesday.

While UH’s Allen is the top scorer in conference games, Fullerton’s Tre’ Coggins is the top overall scorer in the Big West at 17.4 points per game. The 6-foot-3 senior guard also leads the conference with 72 3-pointers. He was limited to seven points in the victory over Hawai’i last month.

Khalil Ahmad, a 6-4 sophomore, is averaging 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game; Lionheart Leslie, a 5-10 senior, is averaging 10.6 points and 2.3 assists per game. He scored 14 in the win over Hawai’i.

The Titans rank second in the Big West in rebounding at 37.7 per game (with a + 3.8 margin per game). Jackson Rowe, a 6-7 freshman, is averaging 10.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Arkim Robertson, a 6-9, 240-pound junior averaging 4.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, and Darcy Malone, a 7-foot senior averaging 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, usually share time at the center position.

CAL STATE FULLERTON (14-12, 8-5) vs. HAWAI’I (13-13, 7-6)
When: Saturday, February 25, 7:00 p.m. (Hawai’i time)
Where: Stan Sheriff Center – Honolulu, HI
Tickets: Lower level – $30 all seats; Upper level – $18 – $20 for adults, $16 – $18 for senior citizens, $5 – $7 for students (ages 4-high school). UH Alumni Association members season-ticket holders from any UH sports can receive a 50 percent discount on adult tickets. Parking is $6.
TV: OCSports (Oceanic channels 16 and 1016 in Hawai’i)
Video streaming: www.bigwest.tv
Radio: ESPN1420 AM
Audio streaming: www.espn1420am.com
Live statistics: www.hawaiiathletics.com
Promotions: “Whiteout” – all fans are encouraged to wear white shirts; first 1,000 fans will receive a free white T-shirt; “Senior Night” – senior Noah Allen will be honored after the game. Players and coaches will be available for autographs after the senior night ceremonies.

Saturday’s Games
Cal Poly at UC Riverside
Long Beach State at UC Davis
CSUN at UC Irvine
Cal State Fullerton at Hawai’i, 7:00 p.m.

Here is HawaiiNewsNow’s Noah Allen feature video:

Hawaii News Now – KGMB and KHNL