FULLERTON, Calif.  – The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior basketball team concluded the Wooden Legacy with a 79-64 loss to Fresno State Sunday at Titan Gym.  The Rainbow Warriors (4-3) finished the three-game, eight-team tournament with a 1-2 mark and fourth-place finish.
 
UH battled hard for 40 minutes but the Bulldogs (3-2) proved too much, particularly from long-range where they drilled 11-of-20 three-pointers (55 percent). Deshon Taylor hit a pair of those threes to lead four Bulldogs in double-digits with 20 points.
 
The Rainbow Warriors were led by Jack Purchase who finished with 14 points as UH had five players score in double-digits for the second time in three games. Sophomore Samuta Avea came off the bench to add 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
 
The first 20 minutes was a see-saw affair with multiple runs. The Bulldogs, who shot 54 percent in the first half, had the last word though with a 20-7 run to close out the half. That turned a two-point lead for UH to a 39-28 deficit at the break.  Avea kept UH in the game with 10 first-half points.
 
UH played inspired in the second half and a Brocke Stepteau layup made it just a four-point game, 47-43, with 13:37 left. But Fresno State seemed to have an answer for every UH rally. Braxton Huggins drained a three-pointer on the next possession, beginning a cascade of 12 unanswered points and the Bulldogs weren't threatened again.
 
The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 52 percent from the field and 84 percent (16-of-19) from the free-throw line. All seven of UH's games this year have been decided by double-digits.
 
UH will remain on the road to for its fourth straight game when it takes on UCLA on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Tipoff is set or 6:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. HT at Pauley Pavilion.