NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – In a thriller of a finish, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team pulled out a 75-74 road win over CSUN Friday at the Matadome. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 8-7 overall and 6-7 in the Big West with the victory.
 
Biwali Bayles banked in the go-ahead three-pointer with 22 seconds left to lift UH to the win and thwart a frenetic comeback by the Matadors (7-9, 3-6 Big West). Bayles finished with a season-high 12 points while Junior Madut scored a career-high 23 points to boost the Rainbow Warriors who saw five different players scored in double-digits.
 
UH led for nearly the entirety of the game and after a Noel Coleman three-pointer, held a 69-57 lead with just over four minutes left. But led by the league's top scorer in TJ Starks, CSUN put together a huge rally. The Matadors went on a 17-3 run in the waning minutes, capped by a Starks three-pointer that gave CSUN a 74-72 lead with 46 seconds.
 
That lead was short-lived. Bayles answered with his three-pointer on the ensuing possession. CSUN had a chance to win the game on the final possesion, but Starks missed a jumper and Darius Brown's follow-up was also off the mark. Starks finished with a a game-high 31 points for the Matadors. Other players in double-digits for UH were James James Jean-Marie (11), Casdon Jardine (10) and Coleman, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half.  
 
The 'Bows got off to a fast start in the game and built a lead that grew to as many as 14 points in the first half. UH cooled off and the Rainbow Warrior clung to a 36-34 lead at the break.
 
But UH got out of the gates fast in the second half and quickly built their lead back to double-digits. UH maintained that lead by going 7-of-15 from behind the arc, with all seven three-pointers coming in timely fashion from Madut (3), Bayles (2) and Coleman (2).
 
The Rainbow Warriors and Matadors will face off again on Saturday to wrap up the two-game series. Tipoff is 4:00 p.m. PT/2:00 p.m. HT at the Matadome.