FULLERTON, Calif. –
Dre Bullock hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to cap a wild finish as the Hawai'i men's basketball team shocked Cal State Fullerton, 87-85, Saturday at Titan Gym. With the win the Rainbow Warriors (21-7, 13-5) completed a road sweep and will maintain at least a share of the BIg West lead heading into the final two games of the regular season.
UH erased a nine-point deficit in the final 3:37 with a 14-0 run and nearly squandered a five point lead in the final 29 seconds before Bullock's heroics lifted UH to a win in its final-ever Big West regular-season road game.
Bullock finished with 27 points – his most as a Rainbow Warrior – while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from three-point territory. He also added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Isaac Johnson also came up big for UH with 22 points and six rebounds. Johnson scored seven straight points in UH's 14-0 run, including a three pointer that got UH within one and a mid-range jumper that gave UH the lead, 80-79, with less than a minute remaining.
UH's furious comeback was nearly thwarted by a resilient Cal State Fullerton (15-15, 10-8) squad. After the UH run, the Titans trailed 84-79 with less than 30 seconds left. But JR Garris converted a three-point play with 21 seconds left and Fullerton forced a UH turnover to get the ball back with 16 seconds left. Garris then hit a corner three-pointer with nine seconds left to give the Titans back the lead, 85-84.
Without a timeout, UH scrambled to get the ball up court, but a driving Hunter Erickson kicked the ball out to the top of the arc for Bullock who calmly hit his fifth three-pointer of the game to seal UH's fifth straight win over the Titans. The game featured 15 lead changes, 11 coming in the second half, an three coming in the final minute.
It was UH's season-high 14th three-pointer of the game on 39 attempts. The 'Bows, who trailed 35-32, at the break, shot 53 percent in the second half. The Titans were a sizzling 58 percent after the break, but UH held them scoreless for more than three minutes late in the game to steal the win.
Josh Ward led five Titans in double-digits with 16 points. The win over Fullerton came less than 48 hours after UH earned a 77-73 win at Davis and UH completed a sweep in its final Big West regular-season road trip.
UH now returns home for their final two regular-season home games and chance to wrap up a Big West regular-season title. The 'Bows will host UC Riverside on Thursday, March 5 and Long Beach State on Saturday, March 7 on Senior Night. Both games start at 7 p.m. at Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.
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