HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball continued its winning ways with a 74-65 win over Cal Poly Thursday night at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 12-11 and 6-4 in the Big West with their fourth straight win.
 
With the victory, UH moved into a tie for third in the Big West standings and are just 1.5 games out of first place.
 
UH got it done on both ends of the court against the Mustangs (7-17, 2-8 BWC). The 'Bows shot 51 percent from the floor, while out-scoring Cal Poly an astounding 46-10 in the paint. UH also   forced 16 turnovers from the Mustangs who entered the game ranked sixth in the country in fewest turnovers committed. UH never trailed in the game, but needed some timely plays in the second half to hold off a scrappy Mustang squad.
 
Noah Allen continued his scoring tear with a game-high 21 points. It was the sixth time in the last eight games Allen has surpassed the 20-point barrier. The senior also added a team-high nine rebounds.
 
Gibson Johnson poured in 15 points in just 15 minutes and Jack Purchase chipped in 11 points and three steals. Meanwhile, freshman center Ido Flaisher provided a huge boost off the bench with 10 points and six rebounds, including a pair of back-to-back buckets during a key second half run.
 
Ridge Shipley led the Mustangs with 19 points.
 
UH jumped all over Cal Poly early. The 'Bows were crisp on offense, hitting nine of their first 12 shots and held the Mustangs without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch to build their lead to as many as 12 points in the first half. UH held a 38-31 lead at the break.  
 
Cal Poly, however, hit three consecutive three-pointers to fuel a 9-2 run to open the second half and suddenly it was a 40-40 game. UH responded with a 16-4 run, including a string of 10 unanswered points to push its lead back to double digits. The Mustangs would get no closer than eight from that point forward.
 
UH returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 11 to take on nemesis UC Irvine in a "Blackout" game. The game will be part of a double-header with the Rainbow Wahine who take on UCSB at 5:00 p.m. at the Stan Sheriff Center. The men's game will tip at approximately 7:30 p.m.