DAVIS, Calif. –  Despite a late comeback bid, the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team closed its regular-season with a 74-66 loss to UC Davis Saturday at the Pavilion. UH dropped to 11-9 overall and finished its Big West schedule with a 9-9 mark.
 
With the result, UH is locked into the No. 6 seed and will face No. 3 seed UC Riverside in next week's Big West Championship quarterfinals in Las Vegas. That contest will take place on Thursday, March 11 at 8:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m HT at Michelob Ultra Arena.
 
After a close opening 20 minutes, UC Davis took control in the second half and held off a late UH rally. The Aggies (9-7, 6-4 Big West) avenged Friday's home loss with a balanced attack, led by Ezra Manjon's 16 points. UC Davis, which ended a five-game series skid to the Rainbow Warriors, shot 52 percent for the game.
 
James Jean-Marie led UH with 19 points and eight rebounds, while draining 9-of-10 free throws. Justin Webster finished with 14 points, while freshman guard Biwali Bayles scored 10. A day after hitting 12 three-pointers in a 73-68 win, UH cooled down considerably going just 4-of-16 from long-distance.  
 
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the first half with seven ties and nine lead changes. But the Aggies gained momentum late, using a 7-0 run to take a 36-30 lead at the break. UH was held without a field goal for the final 6:43 of the half and were plagued with 11 turnovers.  
 
The Aggies maintained their lead throughout the second half and led by as many as 14 points, 57-43, with just under nine minutes left. But UH stormed back and a pair of Jean-Marie free throws at the four-minute mark made it a 61-59 game.
 
UH, however, would get no closer as the Aggies held off the 'Bows with some timely shots and solid free throw shooting (17-0f-20). UH committed just two turnovers in the second half and were outstanding in their own right from the free-throw line where they converted 22 of its 25 attempts for the game, but it wasn't enough.
 
Despite the loss, the Rainbow Warriors continued their streak of non-losing seasons in the Big West regular-season to all nine seasons it has been in the league.