SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team continued to roll with a decisive 86-66 road win over Cal Poly Thursday night at Mott Gymnasium. The Rainbow Warriors improved to 13-3 overall with their ninth win in their last 10 contests.
The win also vaulted UH into a tie for first in the Big West standings with idle UC Irvine. Both teams sit atop the league with a 5-1 mark.
The 'Bows led for the near entirety of the game and broke the game open with a stellar second half performance. Gytis Nemeikša led UH with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor. Dre Bullock also had an outstanding game with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and also tied his career high with six steals.
Hunter Erickson chipped in 15 points, while
Isaac Johnson had 11 and two blocks.
UH held one of the nation's top scorers under his average as Hamad Mousa finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting, including a paltry 2-of-13 from three-point land. As a team, UH held the Mustangs to just 39 percent shooting overall and 25 percent (8-of-32) from long range.
The 'Bows built a lead of as many as seven points in the first half before taking a 41-36 edge into the locker room. UH shot 53 percent and scored 14 points off of 10 Mustang turnovers. But Cal Poly stayed within striking distance with seven three-pointers.
UH shifted the game early in the second half when they exploded for eight unanswered points in a 68-second span that turned a narrow six-point lead into a 54-40 advantage. The 'Bows would maintain that double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
After the Mustangs drilled seven three-pointers in the first half, UH stifled Cal Poly to just 1-of-10 shooting from three-point land after the break. The 'Bows also . On the flip side UH committed just five turnovers in the second half, while continuing its efficient shooting and finished the game at 53 percent, including a 65 percent clip from inside the arc.
UH has now defeated the Mustangs in 10 of the last 11 meetings, including four of the last five in San Luis Obispo.
The Rainbow Warriors will now head south for a matchup at UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, January 17. Tipoff is 6:00 p.m. PT/4:00 p.m. HT at the Thunderdome.
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