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Warriors look to regain form at Cal Poly on Saturday

From the category of there’s always someone worse off than you, the University of Hawai’i basketball team will play a Big West Conference road game at Cal Poly on Saturday.

WarriorInsider.com file photo courtesy Chris Kadooka

The Rainbow Warriors took a step back in the BWC race with a 75-63 loss at UC Davis on Thursday. Hawai’i had uncharacteristic struggles on defense to drop to 16-7 overall and 7-4 in the BWC. The Warriors are now in a three-way tie for fourth place with UC Davis and Long Beach State.

That’s nothing compared to a Cal Poly squad that is on a 10-game losing streak and tied for last place in the BWC. The Mustangs are 7-16 overall and 1-10 in the conference.

Saturday’s game is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Hawai’i) at the Mott Athletics Center in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Live video streaming will be available via ESPN+.

In its first 22 games of this season, Hawai’i held every opponent to sub-50 percent field goal shooting. That streak came to a screeching halt when UC Davis shot 63.6 percent to beat the Warriors on Thursday.

Hawai’i looks to make that game an anomaly by getting back on track against a Cal Poly team that is averaging just 57.8 points per game with a .414 field goal percentage against BWC opponents.

The Warriors already own a 57-48 win over Cal Poly on December 31 in Honolulu. Senior forward Kamaka Hepa led Hawai’i’s always-balanced attack with 12 points and nine rebounds in that game.

Noel Coleman leads the Warriors in scoring at 13.6 points per game, and he also ranks third in the BWC for free throw percentage at .851. JoVon McClanahan is averaging 14.5 points per game against BWC opponents, and is at 11.0 points per game overall for the season.

WarriorInsider.com file photo courtesy Chris Kadooka

Hepa is averaging 10.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, and leads the Warriors with 46 3-pointers.

Cal Poly plays at a deliberate pace, scoring 60.7 points per game, but allowing just 65.7. If there is such a thing as gaining momentum from a loss, the Mustangs may have that, following a 68-62 road loss at first-place UC Santa Barbara on Thursday. The score was tied with less than six minutes remaining, and UCSB did not pull away until the final minute.

Alimamy Koroma, a 6-foot-8 senior forward/center, is Cal Poly’s top player with 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He had 10 points and six rebounds in the loss at Hawai’i.

Trevon Taylor, a 6-6 senior, is contributing 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game; Chance Hunter, a 6-6 senior, is averaging 8.4 points per game and is Cal Poly’s shooting threat with 31 3-pointers.

Recent history favors the Warriors, as they have won six consecutive games against Cal Poly dating to the 2019-20 season. However, the Mustangs have a 5-4 record against Hawai’i in BWC games played at the Mott Athletic Center since the 2012-13 season.

HAWAI’I (16-7 overall, 7-4 Big West) at CAL POLY (7-16, 1-10)
When:
Saturday, February 4, 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Hawai’i)
Where: Mott Athletics Center, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
TV/video streaming: ESPN+
Radio/audio streaming: ESPN Honolulu (92.7 FM, 1420 AM, espnhonolulu.com, Sideline Hawaii app)

Saturday’s Games
UC Irvine at Long Beach State
UC Riverside at Cal State Fullerton
CSU Bakersfield at UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara at CSUN
Hawai’i at Cal Poly

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