‘Bows Roll Past Cal State Fullerton, Advance to Big West Championship
The University of Hawai‘i men’s basketball team punched its ticket to the Big West Championship game with a convincing 78–63 win over Cal State Fullerton in the semifinals Friday night at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada.
Second-seeded Hawai‘i leaned on a dominant defensive performance and a strong all-around effort from captain Harry Rouhliadeff, who recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Isaac Johnson led the Rainbow Warriors with 19 points, while Dre Bullock added 11 points and Hunter Erickson contributed 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The ‘Bows controlled the game on the glass, out-rebounding the Titans 53–26 while holding the Big West’s top-scoring team to just 36 percent shooting and 63 points — more than 20 below their season average. Hawai‘i also capitalized at the free-throw line, converting 25 of 26 attempts.
With the win, Hawai‘i (23–7) advances to the Big West title game for the first time since 2016 and will face top-seeded UC Irvine on Saturday at 4 p.m. HST with an automatic NCAA Tournament berth on the line.
Photos: Jonathan Salvador
