Warrior Insider

Justin Webster had 17 points and seven rebounds to lead the University of Hawai’i basketball team to a crucial 73-68 road victory over UC Davis on Friday at The Pavilion in Davis, Calif.

The victory – Hawai’i’s third in a row – secured the Warriors a spot in the quarterfinals for the Big West Conference Championship Tournament, March 9-13 at Las Vegas. The top six teams in the final regular-season standings are seeded directly into the quarterfinals, while the teams that finish 7th through 10th must play first-round games to qualify for the quarterfinals.

The Rainbow Warriors improved to 11-8 overall and remain in sixth place at 9-8 in the Big West. Hawai’i will finish in either fifth or sixth place with one regular-season game remaining. The Aggies had a five-game winning streak snapped to fall to 8-7 and 5-4 (fifth place).

Hawai’i and UCD will meet again on Saturday in the regular-season finale, set for 4:00 p.m. PT (2:00 p.m. Hawai’i) at The Pavilion.

In addition to Webster, three other Warriors finished with double-figure points. Mate Colina had 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and six rebounds off the bench; James Jean-Marie contributed 11 points and eight rebounds; Casdon Jardine finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Justin Hemsley also added eight points and six rebounds off the bench.

The victory was also the 100th collegiate win for Eran Ganot as a head coach (97 at Hawai’i and three at Saint Mary’s).

The Warriors held the lead for the entire second half, although the Aggies made a late run. Hawai’i had a 42-22 advantage in rebounds to make up for 21 turnovers. UCD shot 46.6 percent from the field compared to UH’s 44.1. However, the Warriors went 12 for 25 from 3-point range while the Aggies were 6 for 17.

Hawai’i was also a perfect 9 for 9 on free throws and passed for a season-high 18 assists.

The first half featured seven lead changes. Hawai’i went on a 10-3 run late in the half to take a 37-28 lead. The Warriors eventually held a 37-30 advantage at intermission, with Jardine tallying 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the first half.

The Aggies cut the Hawai’i lead to 45-43 early in the second half, but the Warriors responded with an 11-2 surge to increase their lead to 56-45 with 11:47 remaining. Hemsley drained two 3-pointers to highlight the Hawai’i surge.

The Warriors remained in control of the lead the rest of the way, but the Aggies made it exciting down the stretch. UCD got as close as 65-61 with 2:55 remaining, but Webster drained a 3-pointer on UH’s ensuing possession to push the lead back up to 68-61.

Webster shot 6 of 9 from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

The Aggies later cut the Hawai’i lead to 71-68, and had possession of the ball with 16 seconds remaining. Kennedy Koehler missed a 3-pointer from the top of the key, then Junior Madut made two free throws for the final score.

Elijah Pepper led the Aggies with 19 points, and Ezra Manjon added 17 points.

CLICK HERE to view boxscore

HAWAI’I (11-8, 9-8 Big West) at UC DAVIS (8-7, 5-4 Big West)
When:  Saturday, March 6 (4:00 p.m. PT)
Where: The Pavilion, Davis, Calif.
TV: None
Video streaming: BigWest.tv
Radio: ESPN Honolulu (1420 AM / 92.7 FM)
Audio streaming: ESPNHonolulu.com or Sideline Hawaii App
Live stats: UCDavisLiveStats.com

Friday’s Results
Hawai’i 73, at UC Davis 68
UC Riverside 72, at CSUN 68
UC Irvine 71, at Long Beach State 68 (OT)
at UC San Diego 89, Cal State Fullerton85
at UC Santa Barbara 71, Cal Poly 57

Saturday’s Games
Hawai’i at UC Davis, 4:00 p.m. PT
UC Riverside at CSUN, 4:00 p.m. PT
UC Irvine at Long Beach State, 4:00 p.m. PT
Cal State Fullerton at UC San Diego, 5:00 p.m. PT
Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara, 5:00 p.m. PT