Hawaiʻi men's basketball ends five-game jinx against Fullerton
Strong first half start gives 'Bows much-needed win!
Things are starting to come back.
After being embarrassed five consecutive times by the Cal State Fullerton Titans, the University of Hawaiʻi Men's Basketball team erased all those troubles with an emphatic win, 76-68, at Titan Gym on Thursday.
Noel Coleman led the 'Bows and all players with 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Ryan Rapp and JoVon McClanahan chipped in 11 points each, and Juan Munoz tallied 10 before leaving early with an apparent left foot problem.
Dominic Brewton led the Titans with 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Tory San Antonio was next with 13, and Grayson Carper chipped in 11 with a game-high three triples of Fullerton's six total.
Brewton drew first blood with a driving layup 78 seconds into the game. It appeared to be another game where UH would have to play catch-up, but UH would not have any of it.
Layups from Coleman and Bernardo da Silva resulted in a 6-0 UH run, and the 'Bows found themselves in the lead. UH was far from done, and put on a clinic in the first half. The 'Bows would eventually find themselves up by double-digits, 26-8, with under seven minutes remaining.
Things got dicey when Fullerton went on an 11-0 run; however, Rapp stopped the bleeding with a drive-in layup to force Fullerton back to square one.
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Ultimately, UH's 25 rebounds, compared to Fullerton's 10, made a big difference, as they were up, 36-24. Munoz led UH and all players with 10 points.
The 'Bows kept the fire burning going into the second half with two immediate field goals. They answered every challenge efficiently.
UH never folded, and more good breaks would come their way. With 10:27 remaining, Beril Kabamba picked up a technical foul. UH took advantage of that with Coleman going 1-for-2 at the free throw line, and Rapp banking a triple at the shot clock buzzer. UH would also hit six triples of their own and shoot 33% (6-for-18).
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UH stayed solid the entire time and never let their lead get into danger. They got more good fortunes when Fullerton Head Coach Dedrique Taylor picked up a technical foul of his own. Coleman and Tom Beattie hit all four free throws to pull their gap out further.
The 'Bows were rabid dogs on the rebounds, as they stomped the Titans on the boards, 38-21, including 12-5 offensively. Beattie and da Silva contributed six boards each -- the most of any UH player.
Behind a 49% (24-for-49) shooting night, and missing only nine times (10-for-19) in the second half, UH held on and bagged their first win over Fullerton since Feb. 10, 2022 at the Stan Sheriff Center!
UH improves to 12-10 overall and 4-6 in Big West play. They will stay on the road to take on UC Irvine at the Bren Events Center on Saturday, Feb. 4. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. HST and can be heard on the radio at ESPN Honolulu.