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Justin McKoy dribble
Shane Rodrigues
63
Hawaii Hawaii 16-13,8-9 Big West
75
Winner UC Davis UCD 17-12,12-6 Big West
Hawaii Hawaii
16-13,8-9 Big West
63
Final
75
UC Davis UCD
17-12,12-6 Big West
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Hawaii Hawaii 32 31 63
UC Davis UCD 38 37 75

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

UC Davis Backcourt Leads The Way In Win Over Hawai'i

HONOLULU  —  The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team fell victim to a monster performance by the UC Davis backcourt in a 75-63 loss  Thursday night at the University Credit Union Center.  The tandem of Elijah Pepper and Ty Johnson each scored 30 points in leading the Aggies to the victory in their final home game of the season. 

The Rainbow Warriors (16-13, 8-9) dropped into a three-way tie for sixth in the Big West with UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside, a team they will face on Saturday in a critical matchup for tournament seeding. UC Davis, meanwhile, improved to 17-12 overall and 12-6 in the Big West to maintain its positioning for a No. 2 seed.

UC Davis led from start to finish in the game, but needed Pepper's heroics to help seal the win. After UH cut the deficit to just four points with five minutes left, Pepper scored nine straight points in a mere 82 seconds to give the Aggies an insurmountable 13-point lead. 

Pepper and Johnson went a combined  20-of-33 from the field and 17-of-18 from the free throw line to account for 60 of the team's 75 points. 

Bernardo da Silva tied his career-high with 20 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the field, to lead the Rainbow Warriors. Justin McKoy added nine points, nine rebounds and three assists.

UH got off to rough start, scrapped their way back into the game in both halves, but ultimately could not contain the offensive explosiveness of Pepper and Johnson.

The 'Bows turned the ball over on each of their first three possessions of the game and the Aggies jumped out to an 8-0 lead less than two minutes in to force a quick UH timeout. UH fell behind by as many as 14 points, but weathered that initial storm. The 'Bows hit their final four field goals of the half and cut the deficit to just 38-32 at the break.

UH trailed by 13 points midway through the second half, but went on a 9-0 run to get back in the game. A da Silva fast break slam made it a 56-52, with five minutes remaining. At that point, Pepper took over with nine unanswered points over the next three possesions, highlighted by a four-point play that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. In his final home appearance, Pepper scored 20 of his 30 points after halftime, while Johnson poured in 15 in each half. 

UC Davis shot 53 percent for the game and scored 22 points off of 16 UH turnovers. The Aggies also out-rebounded the 'Bows, 26-23, as UH lost in Davis for the fourth straight time. 

The Rainbow Warriors will hit the second leg of their road trip when it faces UC Riverside on Saturday, March 2. Tipoff is 5:00 p.m. PT/3:00 p.m. HT at the SRC Arena.

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