By Kennedy Choo

After a central California road trip, the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors return home to the Bank of Hawaiʻi Arena, where they will face the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners and CSU Northridge Matadors in a weekend slate of Hawaiʻi Hoops.

The Rainbow Warriors went 1–1 on their second California road swing, opening with an 86–66 victory over Cal Poly before falling 77–62 to UC Santa Barbara.

Hawaiʻi (13–4, 5–2 Big West) put together an impressive performance in San Luis Obispo, led by Bullock, who scored 20 points and recorded six steals. The highlight came in the second half, when Bullock soared for a 360-degree slam dunk on a fast break, energizing the Rainbow Warriors and helping seal the win.

“We talk about setting the tone and symbolism, right? It’s symbolic, it’s an igniter,” head coach Eran Ganot said. “It’s a byproduct of defensive intensity. It gets us going.”

However, the momentum did not carry over to Santa Barbara.

At the Thunderdome, Hawaiʻi struggled to find its rhythm early against the Gauchos. The Rainbow Warriors were outscored 41–20 in the first half, missing 13 of their first 14 shots as UC Santa Barbara built a commanding lead.

“It was a lot of pressure,” Bullock said. “We just have to find another side of us that continues to fight, especially when we start off slow.”

Even with the loss, the Rainbow Warriors remain atop the Big West standings after UC Irvine dropped a nail-biter to UC Davis.

“Thankfully, Irvine lost too,” Bullock said. “But you always want to get that loss back. We can learn from it.”

Despite the setback, Hawaiʻi now returns home looking to reset and regain momentum, with its focus turning to the Roadrunners and Matadors.

CSU Bakersfield sits 11th in the Big West with a 2–6 conference record and an 8–12 mark overall. Interim head coach Mike Scott leads a physical Roadrunners squad, guided by senior guard Dailin Smith, who averages a team-high 15 points per game. Scott was on staff when Bakersfield swept Hawaiʻi in the season series in 2025.

“They’re up to their tempo,” Ganot said. “This league is top two in the country in tempo. The physicality, the rebounding, getting to the line, the athleticism — it’s all still there.”

The Roadrunners recently earned a road win at UC Davis, proving once again that no team is safe in the Big West.

CSU Northridge sits seventh in the standings with a 4–4 conference record and an 11–9 mark overall. Head coach Andy Newman is in his third season at the helm, led by senior guard Larry Hughes II, who averages 18 points per game.

The Matadors handed Hawaiʻi a crushing 83–60 defeat at the Stan Sheriff Center last season, but the Rainbow Warriors are ready for the challenge ahead.

Hawaiʻi hosts CSU Bakersfield at 7 p.m. Thursday and CSU Northridge at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Bank of Hawaiʻi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center. Both games can be heard live on ESPN 1420 and 92.7 FM.