Warrior Insider

The University of Hawai’i basketball team couldn’t get its defense going in an 88-80 loss at Cal Poly on Saturday at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif.

The Mustangs shot 14 for 24 from 3-point range and scored their season-high for points to earn only their second conference win of this season.

The Rainbow Warriors dropped to 16-11 overall and 7-6 in the Big West Conference. Cal Poly improved to 6-18 and 2-10.

Hawai’i played the entire second half without starting point guard Drew Buggs, who suffered an ankle injury late in the first half. Coincidence or not, the Mustangs broke away from the Warriors early in the second half.

Zigmars Raimo led Hawai’i with 21 points and seven rebounds. He shot 8 for 11 from the field and 5 for 6 on free throws.

Brocke Stepteau had a double-double with 11 points and 11 assists, Sheriff Drammeh scored 13 and Eddie Stansberry scored 12 for the Warriors.

Donovan Field scored a game-high 28 points to lead Cal Poly. The first half went back and forth, with the teams exchanging the lead 12 times. The Warriors took a 40-38 lead at halftime after Stepteau scored on a driving layup with 30 seconds

The Mustangs entered the game ranked last in the Big West in team field goal percentage, but they shot 53.3 percent (16 for 30) in the first half against the Warriors.

Buggs limped off the court with 4:49 remaining in the first half and sat out the entire second half.

The Mustangs opened the second half with an 11-2 surge to take a 49-42 lead. The Warriors cut it to 50-49 on a 3-pointer by Stepteau, but the Mustangs then went on a 14-5 run to increase their lead to 66-56 with 9:59 remaining.

A 12-3 run by the Warriors got them as close as 69-68, but the Mustangs managed to stay in front the rest of the way.

More details will be reported, as it becomes available.

Big West Conference
Saturday’s Results
Long Beach State 71, at UC Riverside 67 (OT)
at CSUN 81, UC Davis 76 (OT)
at UC Santa Barbara 82, Cal State Fullerton 67
at Cal Poly 88, Hawai’I 80