By Lance Tominaga, ESPN Honolulu Web Editor.
Junior Madut’s two free throws with less than three seconds left in the game helped secure the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team’s 63-59 road win over Big West foe CSU Bakersfield earlier tonight.
Madut, a junior guard, led the Rainbow Warriors with 17 points. Senior forward Jerome Desrosiers contributed 16 point and six boards, while sophomore guard Noel Coleman chipped in with 10 points – all in the second half.
With the victory, Hawaii improved to 8-5 on the season and, more importantly, 4-0 in conference play. The Roadrunners, who were led by Justin McCall’s 22 points, fell to 6-7 on the year and 1-3 in the Big West.
The game was close throughout, with Bakersfield going into halftime with a 28-26 lead. Hawaii opened the second half on a 6-0 run and led for most of the rest of the way. The Roadrunners’ only lead in the second stanza came with 8:27 left in regulation, 50-49.
The Rainbow Warriors made just five three-pointers in the game (5-17), tying a season low.
UH has now won four straight games, coinciding with center Bernardo Da Silva’s return from injury. The team will now make a bus trip to San Luis Obispo to play Cal Poly this Saturday. ESPN Honolulu will bring you the game starting at 5:00 p.m., with Bobby Curran calling the action.