Warrior Insider

In a reversal of roles from one day prior, UC Davis defeated the University of Hawai’i basketball team, 74-66, on Saturday at the Pavilion in Davis, Calif.

The split of the two-game series gives the Rainbow Warriors a final regular-season record of 11-9 overall and 9-9 in the Big West Conference. The Warriors finished in sixth place (out of 10) and will be the No. 6 seed for the Big West Conference Championship Tournament, March 9-13 at Las Vegas.

Hawai’i will face No. 3 seed UC Riverside (13-7, 8-4) in a quarterfinal game at 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time (6:00 p.m. Hawai’i) on March 11.

UCD improved to 9-7 overall and 6-4 in the conference. The Aggies finished as the No. 4 seed and will face No. 5 CSU Bakersfield in another quarterfinal game.

James Jean-Marie had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead the Warriors. Justin Webster added 14 points and Biwali Bayles scored 10 for Hawai’i.

One day after beating the Aggies, 73-68, with an efficient performance, the Warriors were inefficient in the rematch.

Hawai’i drained 12 3-pointers on Friday, but shot just 4 for 16 (25 percent) from 3-point range on Saturday. Also of note, UCD won the rebounding battle 36-22. On Friday, Hawai’i out-rebounded the Aggies by 20 (42-22).

The Warriors also passed for a season-low four assists, just one day after passing for a season-high 18.

Hawai’i opened the game with a 5-0 lead, but the first half was close throughout. The teams exchanged the lead nine times, and the score was tied seven times in the first half alone.

The Aggies closed the first half with an 11-2 surge to take a 36-30 lead at halftime. Hawai’i went 6 for 6 on free throws in the final 6:43 of the first half, but also shot 0 for 5 from the field and committed three turnovers during that stretch.

UCD increased its lead to 45-36 early in the second half. The Warriors cut it to 45-42 on a hook shot by Mate Colina, but the Aggies responded with a 12-1 surge to increase their lead to 57-43 with 9:05 remaining.

Hawai’i made another late rally, getting as close as 61-59 with 3:59 remaining. That would be as close as it would get, as the Aggies closed the game by draining 5 of 6 free throws in the final 27 seconds to secure the victory.

Jean-Marie went 9 for 10 from the free-throw line, and the Warriors went 22 for 25 as a team on free throws.

Ezra Manjon led the Aggies with 16 points, and Elijah Pepper added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. UCD shot just 1 for 11 (9.1 percent) from 3-point range, but made up for it by out-scoring Hawai’i 46-18 on “points in the paint.”

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Saturday’s Results
at UC Davis 74, Hawai’i 66
UC Riverside 66, at CSUN 65
UC Irvine 73, Long Beach State 58
at UC San Diego 85, Cal State Fullerton 78
UC Santa Barbara 70, Cal Poly 54

Big West Conference Championship Tournament
Mandalay Bay Resort, Las Vegas
March 9
No. 8 CSUN vs. No. 9 Long Beach State, 3:00 p.m. PT
No. 7 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 10 Cal Poly, 6:00 p.m. PT

March 11
CSUN/Long Beach State winner vs. No. 1 UC Santa Barbara, 11:00 a.m. PT
No. 4 UC Davis vs. No. 5 CSU Bakersfield, 2:00 p.m. PT
Cal State Fullerton/Cal Poly winner vs. No. 2 UC Irvine, 5:00 p.m. PT
No. 3 UC Riverside vs. No. 6 Hawai’i, 8:00 p.m. PT

March 12
First Semifinal, 6:00 p.m. PT
Second Semifinal, 9:00 p.m. PT

March 13
Championship, 8:30 p.m. PT