DAVIS, Calif. –  The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team picked up a critical Big West victory with a 73-68 road win over UC Davis Friday at the Pavilion. UH improved to 11-8 overall and 9-8 in the Big West with its third straight victory.
 
With the result, UH secured an automatic spot in the quarterfinals of next week's Big West Tournament in Las Vegas. The 'Bows also handed head coach Eran Ganot a milestone win with the 100th of his career. A total of 97 have come at UH while three were earned as an acting head coach at Saint Mary's.
 
UH was fueled by a stellar performance from long-distance and dominance on the boards. The Rainbow Warriors drained 12 of its 25 three-point attempts and out-rebounded the Aggies, 42-22 for the game. In the process, the 'Bows snapped UC Davis' (8-7, 5-4 Big West) five-game win streak and defeated the Aggies for the fifth straight time.
 
Justin Webster scored a team-high 17 points, drained four three-pointers, and added seven rebounds.  Mate Colina had 12 points, Casdon Jardine added 10 and James Jean-Marie finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Elijah Pepper led UC Davis with 19 points.  
 
The 'Bows led for the near majority of the game. After a back-and-forth affair early on, UH took the lead for good midway through the first half and held a 37-30 advantage at the break. UH built its lead to as many as 13 points in the second half held a 65-54 lead with less than five minutes remaining.
 
However, in a familiar scenario, UH's opponent would battle back and take the game down to the wire. Down, 71-68, UC Davis had a chance to send the game to overtime in the final moments, but Kennedy Koehler's three-pointer was off the mark and Junior Madut drained a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining for the final tally.  
 
UH finished the game with 21 turnovers, tying a season high, but curtailed that with its stellar three-point shooting and a perfect night from the free-throw line (9-of-9).
 
The Rainbow Warriors and Aggies will meet up again on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams as final seeding for next week's Big West Tournament will be at stake. Tipoff is 4:00 p.m. at the Pavilion.