Warriors rally, then hold off Long Beach State in home finale, 79-76
James Jean-Marie had 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the University of Hawai’i basketball team to a 79-76 victory over Long Beach State on Saturday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
The Rainbow Warriors completed a two-game sweep of the Beach to improve to 10-8 overall and 8-8 in the Big West Conference. The Beach dropped to 5-9 and 4-6.
In Friday’s series opener, the Warriors rallied from 13 points down in the second half. On Saturday, they came back from a 10-point deficit in the second half.
The Warriors led by as many as 15 late in the second half, then held off a late charge by Long Beach. The Beach’s Michael Carter III missed a 3-pointer at the final horn that could have sent it to overtime.
Justin Webster added 14 points and eight rebounds, Junior Madut had 13 points and six rebounds, and Casdon Jardine scored 10 for Hawai’i.
Madut scored 11 of UH’s first 14 points, leading the Warriors to an early 14-13 advantage after the game’s first eight minutes.
Hawai’i led by as many as seven (26-19) in the first half, but the Beach went on a stunning 19-1 surge during a six-minute stretch late in the half to take a 38-27 advantage. The Warriors shot 0 for 10 from the field and 1 for 4 on free throws during that stretch.
However, Hawai’i closed the half with two layups in the final minute to cut the Beach lead to 38-31 at intermission.
The Beach got the lead up to 10 again at 45-35 early in the second half, but the Warriors chipped away. Hawai’i caught the Beach with 14:24 remaining when Jean-Marie hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to tie the score at 50.
It was part of a 22-7 run by Hawai’i over a five-minute stretch that turned a 45-35 deficit into a 57-52 advantage for the Warriors with 12:35 remaining in the second half.
Moments later, Noel Coleman drained 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to increase the Hawai’i lead to 65-55 with 10:45 remaining. The Warriors stayed in front the rest of the way.
Updated details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.
