HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team led nearly throughout in an impressive 80-60 win over UC Davis Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 12-7 overall and 3-2 in the Big West while snapping a two-game skid.
 
Coming off a tough one-point overtime loss to UC Irvine, the Rainbow Warriors bounced back in a big way. UH held an eight-point lead at half then scored the first nine points of the second half to take a double-digit lead they would maintain through the rest of the game.  
 
Sheriff Drammeh scored a game-high 18 points – 15 coming in the first half. Meanwhile, Drew Buggs kept the Aggies (5-14, 1-4 BWC) at bay with a strong second half and finished with 12 points and a career-high 12 assists for his second double-double as a Rainbow Warrior.
 
Dawson Carper added a career-high 13 points off the bench while filling in for Zigmars Raimo who was saddled with foul trouble for much of the game. Raimo still finished with 14 points in just 17 minutes.    
 
UH led 40-32 at the break, thanks in large part to Drammeh and Carper who combined for 25 points. The 'Bows then extended their lead to 17 points coming out of the locker room after a trio of three-pointers—two by Jack Purchase and one by Eddie Stansberry.  
 
The 'Bows relinquished a 14-point lead to its loss to UC Irvine on Wednesday and made sure it wouldn't happen again. The Aggies got no closer than 10 points and an 18-3 run—including a string of 12 unanswered points powered by the dazzling Buggs—shut the door on UC Davis.
 
UH shot a scorching 61 percent in the second half, while holding the Aggies to just 29 percent shooting after the break.
 
The Rainbow Warriors will be back in action at home when it hosts Long Beach State on Thursday, January 31. Tipoff is 7:00 p.m. at th Stan Sheriff Center.