Aaron Valdes scored a season-high 34 points and Stefan Jankovic added 15 points tonight to help the University of Hawai’i race past Cal State Northridge, 83-68, in Big West Conference men’s basketball action.
An appreciative crowd of 5,513 at the Stan Sheriff Center watched Isaac Fleming add 10 points, five rebounds and four assists, Roderick Bobbitt contribute six points, 10 assists and eight steals, and Stefan Jovanovic pitch in with nine rebounds as the Rainbow Warriors improved to 13-5 overall, 1-1 in the Big West heading into its first conference road trip at UC Riverside on Jan. 17. The Matadors fell to 4-13, 0-2.
CSUN took a 44-43 lead after Stephen Maxwell’s two free throws with 17:34 remaining in the game, but Valdes answered with two free throws 50 seconds later to start Hawai’i on a 24-10 run capped by Fleming’s layup to put the Rainbow Warriors ahead, 68-53, with 8:03 left.
Read about Quincy Smith.
After the Matadors closed it to 70-60 on Aaaron Parks’ layup with 6:04 remaining, Valdes bookended a 9-0 run with a free throw and three-point play to essentially seal the victory at 79-60 with 4:32 remaining.
UH closed the first half with an 8-2 run in the final two and a half minutes to take a 39-37 lead into the break.
The Warriors’ next game will be a Big West road game at UC Riverside on January 17.
More details, including video highlights and interviews, will be posted later.