‘Bows Capture Big West Title, Headed to NCAA Tournament

The University of Hawai‘i men’s basketball team is going dancing for the first time in a decade.

The Rainbow Warriors defeated top-seeded UC Irvine 71-64 on Saturday night at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nev., to win the Credit Union 1 Big West Men’s Basketball Championship and secure the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Second-seeded Hawai‘i (24-8) used timely defense and late free throws to close out the Anteaters after building a seven-point lead in the final minutes.

Isaac Johnson paced the Rainbow Warriors with a game-high 22 points and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Harry Rouhliadeff recorded his second straight double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Dre Bullock added 12 points, highlighted by a windmill dunk late in the game. Isaiah Kerr chipped in 10 points off the bench.

Hawai‘i will learn its NCAA Tournament opponent during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday at 12 p.m. Hawai‘i time.